Perfect genetic correlation between number of offspring and grandoffspring in an industrialized human population

• Reproductive success (offspring quantity) is widely used as a measure of fitness (genetic contribution to future generations). Accurate predictions of the direction and magnitude of evolutionary change using this measure depend on the untested assumption that the genes influencing number of offspring are the same as those influencing number of grandoffspring. Using a population sample of identical and nonidentical Swedish twins and their descendants, we show that the genetic influences on number of offspring and grandoffspring are identical, supporting the use of reproductive success as a measure of fitness in comparable human populations.

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)