Heritability

heritability, amount of phenotypic (observable) variation in a population that is attributable to individual genetic differences. Heritability, in a general sense, is the ratio of variation due to differences between genotypes to the total phenotypic variation for a character or trait in a population. The concept typically is applied in behaviour genetics and quantitative genetics, where heritability estimates are calculated by using either correlation and regression methods or analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods.

Heritability is expressed as H² = V_g/V_p, where H is the heritability estimate, V_g the variation in genotype, and V_p the variation in phenotype. Heritability estimates range in value from 0 to 1. If H = 1, then all variation in a population is due to differences or variation between genotypes (i.e., there is no environmentally caused variation). If H = 0, there is no genetic variation; in this case all variation in the population comes from differences in the environments experienced by individuals.

Heritability is commonly used in twin studies in the field of behaviour genetics. The methodology is based on the fact that identical twins (monozygotic, or one-egg twins) share 100 percent of their genes in common and nonidentical, or fraternal, twins (dizygotic, or two-egg twins) are similar to other siblings (i.e., brothers and sisters) in that they share 50 percent of their genes in common. The correlation between identical twins is expected to be equal to 1.0 and that of fraternal twins to be 0.50. In the field of quantitative genetics, the concept of heritability is used to partition observable phenotypic variation between individuals into genetic and environmental components.

There are several drawbacks to the use of heritability estimates. First, heritability is not a measurement of how sensitive a character or trait might be to a change in environment. For example, a trait may have complete heritability (H = 1) yet be altered drastically by environmental change. This can be seen in certain genetic disorders of metabolism, such as phenylketonuria and Wilson disease, where heritability of phenotypic outcomes equals 1.0 but effective treatment is possible through dietary interventions. A second problem with heritability estimates is that they measure variation only within populations. In other words, a heritability estimate cannot be used to determine the causes of differences between populations, nor can it be used to determine the extent to which an individual’s phenotype is determined by genes versus environment.

Furthermore, the heritability concept is subject to misuse when applied to human population differences for traits such as intelligence. For instance, studies have argued that racial differences in measures of intelligence, academic achievement, and crime rates are due to genetic rather than environmental differences. However, other studies have shown that estimates of heritability for such traits within populations do not provide information about genetic differences between populations.