Piebald Rats and Selection: An Experimental Test of the Effectiveness of Selection and of the Theory of Gametic Purity in Mendelian Crosses (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

W. E. Castle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0331014793 ISBN 13: 9780331014792

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

A rigorous, long-running test of how selection and crossbreeding shape a trait in rats.

This study examines whether selection alone can shift a hooded coat pattern in rats, challenging the idea that gametes are always pure in Mendelian crosses. It covers years of careful experiments, large sample sizes, and careful data analysis to explore the genetics behind the trait.

The work frames a key question in heredity: can a population be steered toward a higher or lower expression of a trait without introducing cross-breeding? It documents the experimental setup, the series of selection lines, and how results were recorded and interpreted. The authors discuss patterns such as regression of offspring toward the population mean and what this means for the existence of stable, pure lines.

• Learn how the plus and minus selection lines were run and how offspring grades were tracked across generations.
• See how the researchers tested the behavior of a supposed mutant and its influence on offspring in different crosses.
• Understand what the results suggest about dominance, heterozygotes, and the potential for homozygous mutants to alter mean traits over generations.
• Get a sense of the careful methodology, from grading schemes to how generations were grouped and analyzed.

Ideal for readers interested in the history of genetics, Mendelian crosses, and early tests of selection theory in animal models.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0331014793
• ISBN 13: 9780331014792
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 68