POLYGENIC INHERITANCE , HERITABILITY & ITS

MEASUREMENT
 Polygenic Inheritance,Heritability and its
Measurement

Definiton of polygenes - The polygenes can be defined as two

or more different pair of alleles which have cumulative effect and govern quantitative
characters

Each gene has a certain amount of effect ,

Polygenic Inheritance- And the more is the number of dominant
Genes, the more is the degree of
expression of the character .this is known
as polygenic inheritance
 Characteristics of Polygenic Inheritance
 Polygenic character can be quantified by measuring or
counting

The effect of each contributing gene is cumulative or

additive

Because many genes may be involved, the inheritance of

this type is called polygenic or inheritance

Each contributing allele in a series produces an equal

effect

Analysis of polygenic traits require the study of large number

of progenies.

Effect of environment influences the genetics variation.

Example 1 Kernal colour in wheat

Swedish geneticist H. Nilsson Ehile(1909), on

kernel colour in wheat provides the first example of
polygenic inheritance

He proposed that three pairs of genes were

responsible for grain colour in wheat.

These are represented as Aa, Bb, and Cc, the

genes of ABC being dominant and (additive and non
additive) abc recessive

The cross between AABBCC and aabbcc .

 Parents: RED WHITE
AABBCC aabbcc
Gametes ABC abc
F1Generation: ABCabc

Gametes: ABC ABc AbC aBC Abc aBc abC abc

ABC AABBCC AABBCc AABbCC AaBBCC AABbCc AaBBCc AaBbCC AaBbCc

AABBCc AABBcc AABbCc AaBBCc AABbcc AaBBcc AaBbCc AaBbcc

ABc

AAbBCC AABbCc AAbbCC AaBbCC AAbbCc AaBbCc AabbCC AabbCc

AbC

AaBBCC AaBBCc AaBbCC aaBBCC aABbCc aaBBCc aaBbCC aabBCc

aBC

AABbCc AABbcc AAbbCc AaBbCc AAbbcc AabBcc AabbcC Aabbcc

Abc

AaBBCc AaBBcc AaBbCc aaBBCc AaBbcc aaBBcc aaBbCc aabBcc

aBc

abC AaBbCC aABbCc AabbCC aaBbCC aABBCc aabBCc aabbCC aabbCc

abc AaBbCc AaBbcc AabbCc aaBbCc Aabbcc aaBbcc aabbCc aabbcc

By crossing between F1and F1, Nilson Ehlie found that F2
Generation seven classes occurred in 1:6:15:20:15:6:1
ratio.he found that only 1/64 of f2 exhibited extreme
colour similar to each of the parental type.
The results are:

1: Darkest red- 6 dominant gene=1/64

2: orange-5 dominant gene=6/64
3: Dark pink-4 dominant gene=15/64
4:Skyblue-3 dominant gene=20/64
5: Light pink-2 dominant gene=15/64
6:pink-1dominant gene=6/64
7:White-No dominant genes=1/64
 Example :2 Skin colour in man
Inheritance of skin colour in man is another example of
polygenic inheritance or quantitative inheritance.

The presence of melanin pigment in the skin deterimines

skin colour.

The more is the pigment the darker is the skin colour .

The amount of melanin developing in an individual is

determined by its three pairs of genes.

These genes are present at three different loci and each

dominant gene is responsible for the synthesis of fixed
amount of melanin.
The effect of all genes is additive and the amount of
melanin produced is always proportional to the number of
dominant gnes
Crossing between skin colour in man
Parents: NEGROSE WHITE
P1 Generation
AABBCC aabbcc
ABC abc

MULLATOES MULLATOES
F1 Generation AaBbCc
MALE GAMETES ABC ABc Abc aBC Abc aBc abC abc

F ABC AABBCC
AABBCC AABBCc AABbCC AaBBCC AABbCc AaBBCc AaBbCC AaBbCc
E
M ABc AABBCc AABBcc AABbCc AaBBCc AABbcc AaBBcc AaBbCc AaBbcc
A AABbCC AABbCc AAbbCC AaBbCC AAbbCc AaBbCc AabbCC AabbCc
Abc
L
E aBC AaBBCC AaBBCc AaBbCC aaBBCC AaBbCc aaBBCc aaBbCC aaBbCc

AABbCc AABbcc AAbbCc AaBbCc AAbbcc AaBbcc AabbCc Aabbcc

G Abc
A AaBBCc AaBBCC AaBbCc aaBBcC AaBbcc aaBBcc aaBbCc aaBbcc
aBc
M
E AaBbCC AaBbCc AabbCC aaBbCC AabbCc aaBbCc aabbCC aabbCc
T abC
E
abc AaBbCc AaBbcc AabbCc aaBbCc Aabbcc aaBbcc aabbCc aabbcc
S
 MULLATOES MULLATOES

1. Pure Black-Negroes : 6 dominant genes : 1/64

2. Very Dark Brown : 5 dominant genes :6/64
3.Dark Brown : 4 dominant genes : 15/64
4.Mulatto : 3 dominant genes : 20/64
5. Light brown : 2 dominant genes : 15/64
6. Very light brown : 1 dominant genes : 6/64
7.Pure white : no dominant genes: 1/64
Heritability: In addition to being polygenic, quantitative
Characteristics are influenced by environmental
factors. It is often useful to know how much of variation
in a quatitative characteristics is due to environmental
differences and how much is due to genetic difference.
The proportion of total phenotypic variation that is due to
genetics differences is know as HERITABILITY.

For eg: Consider a dairy farmer who own several hundred cows.
The farmer notices that some sconsistently produce more milk than other.
The nature of these differences is important to the profitability of his dairy
Operation.

p.
Component of phenotypic variance: Phenotypic Variance,
Which represents the phenotypic differences among individual members of a
Group. First , some of the difference in phenotype may be due to difference
In genotypes among individual members of the population. These differences
are termed the genetics variance and its represented by VG.
Second , some of difference in phenotype may be due to environmental
Differences among the sample these difference are termed the environmental
By VE.
Third, genetics – environmental interaction variance (VGE) arises when the
Effect of a gene depends on the specific environment.

The total phenotypic variance can be apportioned into three components:

VP= VG +VE+VGE
Types of Heritability: Two types of heritability
2
Broad -sense heritability (H ) represents the proportion of phenotypic variance
that is due to genetics variance and is calculated by dividing the genetics
2
Variance by the phenotypic variance. It is symbolized H because it is a measure
of variance,

( Broad - sense heritability= H = V )

2 G

VP
Broad- sense heritability can be potentially range from 0 to 1. A value of 0
Indicated that none of phenotypic variance result from difference in genotype .
A value of 1 indicated that all of the phenotypic variance result from differences
In genotypes.A heritability of between 0and 1 indicated that both genetics and
Environmental factor influence the phenotypic variance.
2
Narrow -sense heritability h is equal to the additive genetics variance dividing
By the phenotypic variance.
VA
(
2
Narrow -sense heritability= h = VP )
Measurement of heritability : There are several ways to measure
The heritability of a characteristic . They include eliminating one or more
Variance component , comparing the phenotypic variance of individuals with
Different degree of relatedness, and measuring the response to selection.
The mathematical theory that underlies these calculations of heritability is
Complex.

One way of calculating the broad sense heritability is to eliminating one of

Variance component. We have seen that VP=VG+VE+VGE.

VG=VP - VE

Broad sense heritability of the genetically variable individuals would then

be calculating as follow.

2 VG
H = VP
Sewall wright used this method to estimating the heritability of white spotting
In guinea pigs.

He first measured the phenotypic variance for white spotting in a genetically

Varied population and found that VP= 573

When he measured their phenotypic variance in white spotting , he obtained

VE=340
VG = VP - VE

= 573 –
340
= 233
He then estimating the broad sense heritability from the genetic and
Phenotypic variance.
2
H = VG
= 233 =41%
VP 573
This value implies that 41% of the variation in spotting of guinea pig .