What is the genetic value of an animal?

What is the genetic value of an animal?

• A. The value of an animal's genes to itself
• B. The value of an animal's genes to its progeny
• C. The environmental contribution to phenotype
• D. The average phenotype of the population

Answer: (A)

Genetic value is the part of an animal’s phenotype that comes from its own genes and affects its own performance. It represents the genotype’s contribution to how the animal itself expresses traits, independent of the environment. In practice, environment can modify the expression, but genetic value focuses on what the animal’s genes contribute to its own phenotype. This is distinct from the value that’s passed on to progeny, which is the breeding value—the additive portion of the genotype that is transmitted to offspring and influences their performance on average. The environmental contribution to phenotype and the average phenotype of the population are not the genetic value of a particular animal.

Genetic value is the part of an animal’s phenotype that comes from its own genes and affects its own performance. It represents the genotype’s contribution to how the animal itself expresses traits, independent of the environment. In practice, environment can modify the expression, but genetic value focuses on what the animal’s genes contribute to its own phenotype.

This is distinct from the value that’s passed on to progeny, which is the breeding value—the additive portion of the genotype that is transmitted to offspring and influences their performance on average. The environmental contribution to phenotype and the average phenotype of the population are not the genetic value of a particular animal.