Question

If the slope of a plot of mid-parent and mid-offspring head width values across fifty families of lizards has a value of 0.5, what can we infer?

1) broad sense heritability is 0.5
2) the number of families is 50
3) the number of lizards is 50
4) cannot be determined

Answer 1

If the slope of the plot is 0.5, it implies a positive correlation between parent and offspring head width, but no information about broad sense heritability, number of families, or number of lizards can be inferred.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the slope of a plot of mid-parent and mid-offspring head width values across fifty families of lizards has a value of 0.5, it implies that there is a positive correlation between the head width of the parents and the head width of the offspring. This means that as the head width of the parents increases, the head width of the offspring also tends to increase. However, this information does not provide any direct inference about the broad sense heritability, the number of families or the number of lizards. Therefore, the correct answer is 4) cannot be determined.