Genetic parameters and expected responses to selection for components of feed efficiency in a Duroc pig line

Table 5 Statistics^a of marginal posterior distributions for genetic parameter estimates under Model 8 at the mean of the explanatory covariates

Genetic parameter^b	Mean	Median	sd	HPD	Pr\| \(\hat{\varvec{p}}\) \|>0^c	ESS
\(\hat{h}_{RFI}^{2}\)	0.12	0.13	0.05	0.04	0.20	1.00	476
\(\hat{h}_{FI/MW}^{2}\)	0.44	0.43	0.20	0.10	0.79	1.00	155
\(\hat{h}_{FI/WG}^{2}\)	0.39	0.41	0.19	0.06	0.68	1.00	301
\(\hat{h}_{FI/FG}^{2}\)	0.55	0.56	0.14	0.31	0.79	1.00	356
r_g(\({\text{a}}_{\text{RFI}}\), \({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{MW}}}}\))	− 0.46	− 0.48	0.30	− 0.99	0.08	0.07	239
r_g(\({\text{a}}_{\text{RFI}}\), \({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{WG}}}}\))	0.75	0.82	0.26	0.23	1.00	0.98	116
r_g(\({\text{a}}_{\text{RFI}}\), \({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{FG}}}}\))	0.52	0.51	0.31	0.02	0.98	0.96	355
r_g(\({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{MW}}}}\), \({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{WG}}}}\))	− 0.43	− 0.46	0.33	− 0.96	0.12	0.10	203
r_g(\({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{MW}}}}\), \({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{FG}}}}\))	− 0.19	− 0.21	0.30	− 0.74	0.41	0.25	326
r_g(\({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{WG}}}}\), \({\text{a}}_{{{\text{FI}}/{\text{FG}}}}\))	0.57	0.60	0.19	0.19	0.88	0.99	342

^aMean, median, highest posterior density (HPD) intervals, probability of the parameter to be higher than zero (Pr| \(\hat{p}\) | > 0) and effective sample size (ESS)
^b \(\hat{h}_{RFI}^{2}\) = heritability estimate of the intercept (residual feed intake); \(\hat{h}_{j}^{2}\) = heritability estimate (defined as the ratio between additive variance associated to each component divided by the sum of their permanent and additive genetic components) of the slopes of \({\text{FI}}\) on the different explanatory variables \(j\): metabolic weight (\({\text{FI}}\) / \({\text{MW}}\)), overall growth (\({\text{FI}}\) / \({\text{WG}}\)) and backfat thickness gain (\({\text{FI}}\) / \({\text{FG}}\)); r_g(x, y) = genetic correlation between components of feed efficiency
^cPr| \(\hat{p}\) | > 0 is only relevant for the genetic correlations, prior assumptions of the heritabilities force this quantity to be equal to 1

ISSN: 1297-9686