Evol Ecol Res 9: 975-986 (2007)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

Heritability of acoustic signalling time in the Texas field cricket, Gryllus texensis

Susan M. Bertram,* Darrell J. Kemp,‡ Jennifer S. Johnson, S. Xochitl Orozco and Root Gorelick

School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA

Address all correspondence to Susan M. Bertram, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada.
e-mail: susan_bertram@carleton.ca

ABSTRACT

Hypothesis: Heritability estimates of total nightly signalling time will be equal for a contemporary data set in Austin (Texas) and an earlier data set collected 127 km away in San Antonio (Texas).

Organism: Texas field cricket, Gryllus texensis (Gryllidae: Orthoptera).

Background: A corpus of work has been done on Gryllus texensis in Austin, Texas with the underlying assumption that heritability values from San Antonio, Texas apply.

Methods: Previous study – realized heritability estimated using an artificial selection experiment. Current study – narrow sense heritability estimated using parent–offspring, full-sib/half-sib, and restricted maximum likelihood methods.

Results: Heritability of total nightly signalling time was previously computed as 0.50 and 0.53 for the San Antonio crickets. However, heritability of total nightly signalling time in the Austin crickets is estimated at only 0.006 ± 0.045. In Austin, only a small portion (1.5 ± 11%) of the genetic variance in total signalling time is additive.

Keywords: calling time, dominance, environmental variance, Gryllidae, heritability, maternal effects, Texas field cricket.

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        © 2007 Susan M. Bertram. All EER articles are copyrighted by their authors. All authors endorse, permit and license Evolutionary Ecology Ltd. to grant its subscribing institutions/libraries the copying privileges specified below without additional consideration or payment to them or to Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. These endorsements, in writing, are on file in the office of Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. Consult authors for permission to use any portion of their work in derivative works, compilations or to distribute their work in any commercial manner.

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