Study on heritability of growth in the juvenile sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus nudus

The heritability of growth of juvenile Strongylocentrotus nudes was analyzed using quantitative genetic methods. Twenty-one half-sib groups and 60 to 63 full-sib groups of juveniles were obtained by artificial fertilization of three to five females by single males based on a nested design. The body weight (g) and test diameter (cm) of the young was measured 3 and 5 months after metamorphosis. Maternal component estimates are significantly greater than paternal component estimates for both weight and diameter at both ages. Greater maternal components suggest large non-additive genetic effects that could not be differentiated with the available data. Estimates of heritability in the narrow sense calculated from the additive genetic component using a paternal half-sib correlation analysis ranged from 0.2167-0.4565 for weight and 0.2059-0.4998 for diameter. The results indicate significant maternal effects. The strength of the nested design and the paternal half-sib correlation analysis used in this study make the estimate the most precise and unbiased reported to date.