Question

Two different groups of scientists studying a rare trait in ground squirrels report very different heritabilities. What factors influencing heritability values make it possible for both conclusions to be correct?

Answer 1

It is a trait highly influenced by environmental factors (i.e., it has low heritability)

Explanation:

In population genetics, heritability is a statistical measure to estimate the proportion of the phenotype variation of a given trait which can be explained by hereditable genetic factors. The heritability of a trait is influenced by environmental factors, genetic factors (e.g., allele frequencies, number of genes involved in trait variation, recombination rate, etc), and the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. A low heritability value suggests that most of the variation is not genetic (i.e., due to environmental factors), while a high heritability value suggests that almost all of the variability in a trait is due to genetic factors.