INHERITANCE OF BODY WEIGHT IN GUINEA PIGS

摘要

Inheritance of body weight at 2 weeks interval from 2 to 12 weeks was studied in guinea pigs. Animals born in smaller litters were heavier than those born in larger litters up to a litter size of 3 pups. Average weights of pups at different ages between litter size 3 to 5 were similar. Animals born in cooler months weighed more than those born in hotter ones. Males were significantly heavier than females after 6 weeks of age. Heritability of weight at 2 weeks was less but at other ages these were higher. Genetic & phenotypic correlations between weight at closer ages were higher than those at ages further apart. The phenotypic correlations were largely composed of genetic correlation, the environmental correlations were very low.