For traits with moderate heritability, which statement best describes expected selection response?

For traits with moderate heritability, which statement best describes expected selection response?

• A. There is opportunity for selection
• B. Very effective
• C. No genetic progress
• D. Impossible to select

Answer: (A)

Moderate heritability means part of the observed variation is genetic, so selecting individuals with better phenotypes will produce genetic change in the next generation. The expected response to selection is R = h^2 × S, so with a moderate h^2 you still get a positive, though not extreme, genetic gain per generation. This creates an opportunity for selection: you can steadily improve the trait over generations, just not as rapidly as for highly heritable traits. The other statements imply extremes (very effective, no progress, or impossible to select) that don’t fit when heritability is only moderate. Therefore, there is opportunity for selection.

Moderate heritability means part of the observed variation is genetic, so selecting individuals with better phenotypes will produce genetic change in the next generation. The expected response to selection is R = h^2 × S, so with a moderate h^2 you still get a positive, though not extreme, genetic gain per generation. This creates an opportunity for selection: you can steadily improve the trait over generations, just not as rapidly as for highly heritable traits. The other statements imply extremes (very effective, no progress, or impossible to select) that don’t fit when heritability is only moderate. Therefore, there is opportunity for selection.