In multivariate quantitative genetics, a genetic correlation (denoted or ) is the proportion of variance that two traits share due to genetic causes, the correlation between the genetic influences on a trait and the genetic influences on a different trait estimating the degree of pleiotropy or causal overlap. A genetic correlation of 0 implies that the genetic effects on one trait are independent of the other, while a correlation of 1 implies that all of the genetic influences on the two traits are identical. The bivariate genetic correlation can be generalized to inferring genetic latent variable factors across > 2 traits using factor analysis. Genetic correlation models were introduced into behavioral genetics in the 1970s–1980s.
Genetic correlations have applications in validation of genome-wide association study (GWAS) results, breeding, prediction of traits, and discovering the etiology of traits & diseases.
They can be estimated using individual-level data from twin studies and molecular genetics, or even with GWAS summary statistics. Genetic correlations have been found to be common in non-human genetics and to be broadly similar to their respective phenotypic correlations, and also found extensively in human traits, dubbed the 'phenome'.
This finding of widespread pleiotropy has implications for artificial selection in agriculture, interpretation of phenotypic correlations, social inequality, attempts to use Mendelian randomization in causal inference, the understanding of the biological origins of complex traits, and the design of GWASes.
A genetic correlation is to be contrasted with environmental correlation between the environments affecting two traits (e.g. if poor nutrition in a household caused both lower IQ and height); a genetic correlation between two traits can contribute to the observed (phenotypic) correlation between two traits, but genetic correlations can also be opposite observed phenotypic correlations if the environment correlation is sufficiently strong in the other direction, perhaps due to tradeoffs or specialization.
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Behavioural genetics, also referred to as behaviour genetics, is a field of scientific research that uses genetic methods to investigate the nature and origins of individual differences in behaviour. While the name "behavioural genetics" connotes a focus on genetic influences, the field broadly investigates the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence individual differences, and the development of research designs that can remove the confounding of genes and environment.
Gene–environment correlation (or genotype–environment correlation) is said to occur when exposure to environmental conditions depends on an individual's genotype. Gene–environment correlations (or rGE) is correlation of two traits, e.g. height and weight, which would mean that when one changes, so does the other. Gene–environment correlations can arise by both causal and non-causal mechanisms. Of principal interest are those causal mechanisms which indicate genetic control over environmental exposure.
The g factor (also known as general intelligence, general mental ability or general intelligence factor) is a construct developed in psychometric investigations of cognitive abilities and human intelligence. It is a variable that summarizes positive correlations among different cognitive tasks, reflecting the fact that an individual's performance on one type of cognitive task tends to be comparable to that person's performance on other kinds of cognitive tasks.
A survey course describing the origins of air pollution and climate change
Explores autocorrelation, periodicity, and spurious correlations in time series data, emphasizing the importance of understanding underlying processes and cautioning against misinterpretation.
Using batteries of visual tests, most studies have found that there are only weak correlations between the performance levels of the tests. Factor analysis has confirmed these results. This means that a participant excelling in one test may rank low in ano ...
2024
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The sensitivity of enteroviruses to disinfectants varies among genetically similar variants and coincides with amino acid changes in capsid proteins, although the effect of individual substitutions remains unknown. Here, we employed reverse genetics to inv ...
Cet article présente une activité pédagogique débranchée pour sensibiliser les élèves aux enjeux environnementaux et sociaux liés à l’utilisation des technologies du numérique sur la base d’une cartographie de leur cycle de vie : fabrication, utilisation e ...