DOI: 10.5061/dryad.tx95x69vd
title: Estimating heritability in honeybees: comparison of three major methods based on empirical and simulated datasets

description: The genetic contribution to phenotypic variation (namely the heritability)
 affects the response to selection. In honeybee, the haplodiploid sex
 determination does not allow the straightforward use of classical
 quantitative genetics methods to estimate heritability and genetic
 correlation. Nevertheless, specific methods have been developed for about
 40 years. In particular, sibling analyses are frequently used with three
 main methods: an historical model using the average colony relatedness, a
 half-sibs/full-sibs model and the more recent animal model. We compared
 those three methods using experimental and simulated datasets to see which
 performs the best. Our experimental dataset is composed of 10 colonies
 with a total sample of 853 workers. All individuals were genotyped to
 reconstitute the pedigree, and phenotypic traits were measured: labial
 palpus and wing cubital veins lengths. We also simulated phenotypic
 datasets with varying levels of heritability, common environmental effect
 and genetic correlation between traits. The simulation approach showed
 that the average colony relatedness was highly biased in presence of
 common environmental effect whereas the half-sibs/full-sibs and the animal
 model gave reliable estimates of heritability. The animal model provided
 the greatest precision in genetic correlations. Using this latter method,
 we found that wing vein lengths had high heritabilities, allowing the use
 of those morphometric characters to discriminate between populations. On
 the contrary, the palpus length had lower heritability due to larger
 environmental variance and measurement error. Finally, significant genetic
 correlations among measured traits indicate that they do not evolve
 independently.
description: Honeybee workers were sampled in Mauritius and La Reunion. We
 sampled 95 worker honey bees per colony, from the frames of the hives, in
 a total of ten colonies. Patrilines were determined by genotyping eight
 microsatellite markers on DNA extracted from the femur. For each worker,
 morphological measurements of  the mouthparts and the right forewing were
 made : palpus length, cubital veins of the wing.
description: ile island from which the individual is sampled colonie colony from which the individual is sampled year year when the individual was sampled animal identity of the individual dam mother sire father sex sex A24-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 1 A24-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 1 AC306-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 2 AC306-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 2 AP66-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 3 AP66-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 3 A8-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 4 A8-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 4 A29-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 5 A29-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 5 AP289-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 6 AP289-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 6 AP55-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 7 AP55-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 7 AP33-1 allele 1 microsatellite marker 8 AP33-2 allele 2 microsatellite marker 8 A length of the cubital vein A from the wing B length of the cubital vein B from the wing IC A/B palpes length of the palpus (mouthpart)