Alternative models for QTL detection in livestock. I. General introduction.

摘要

This is the first in a series of papers in which alternative models for QTL (quantitative trait locus) detection in livestock are proposed and their properties are evaluated using simulations. This paper describes the basic model used, applied to independent half-sib families, with marker phenotypes measured for a 2- or 3-generation pedigree and quantitative trait phenotypes measured only for the last generation. Hypotheses are given and the formulae for calculating the likelihood are described. Different alternatives to this basic model were studied, including variation in performance modelling and consideration of full-sib families. Their main features are discussed and their influence on the result is illustrated by means of a numerical examplefor dairy cattle. [For Pt. II see pp. 225-237 of the same number of the journal.]