Which statement describes a permanent environment?

Which statement describes a permanent environment?

• A. Affects the animal for the rest of its life.
• B. Affects a single record.
• C. Affects the group.
• D. Affects only during development.

Answer: (A)

Permanent environment refers to non-genetic influences that persist for an individual’s entire life and affect all of its performance records. Because these effects remain with the animal across its lifetime, the description that the environment affects the animal for the rest of its life best captures this concept. In contrast, effects that influence only one record are temporary environmental effects (or measurement errors), group-level influences are shared environmental effects across many animals, and development-only effects are age- or stage-specific and do not persist throughout life. For example, a stable housing and feeding regime that remains constant across all life stages would be a permanent environmental influence.

Permanent environment refers to non-genetic influences that persist for an individual’s entire life and affect all of its performance records. Because these effects remain with the animal across its lifetime, the description that the environment affects the animal for the rest of its life best captures this concept. In contrast, effects that influence only one record are temporary environmental effects (or measurement errors), group-level influences are shared environmental effects across many animals, and development-only effects are age- or stage-specific and do not persist throughout life. For example, a stable housing and feeding regime that remains constant across all life stages would be a permanent environmental influence.