Facial averageness and genetic quality: Testing heritability, genetic correlation with attractiveness, and the paternal age effect.
Facial averageness and genetic quality: Testing heritability, genetic correlation with attractiveness, and the paternal age effect.
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DOI：
10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2015.08.003
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发表时间：
2016-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Zietsch BP
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lee AJ;Mitchem DG;Wright MJ;Martin NG;Keller MC;Zietsch BP
流行的理论认为，面部平均的伴侣对后代的遗传利益更有利。然而，面部平均是否与遗传质量有关尚未确定。在这里，我们计算了一个大样本（N = 1，823）的同卵和异卵双胞胎及其兄弟姐妹的面部平均度的客观测量，以测试面部平均度反映遗传质量的理论的两个预测。首先，我们使用生物统计建模来估计面部平均度的遗传力，如果它反映了遗传质量，这是必要的。我们还测试了面部平均和面部吸引力之间的遗传关联。其次，我们评估父亲的年龄在概念（突变负荷的代理）是否与面部平均和面部吸引力。我们的研究结果与我们的假设是混合的。虽然我们发现面部平均度确实有遗传成分，并且面部平均度和吸引力之间存在显着的表型相关性，但我们没有发现面部平均度和吸引力之间的遗传相关性（因此，我们不能说影响面部平均度的基因也影响面部吸引力）和父亲受孕时的年龄与面部平均度没有负相关。这些发现支持了一些以前未经检验的关于面部平均的“遗传益处”的假设，但对其他人提出了质疑。
Popular theory suggests that facial averageness is preferred in a partner for genetic benefits to offspring. However, whether facial averageness is associated with genetic quality is yet to be established. Here, we computed an objective measure of facial averageness for a large sample (N = 1,823) of identical and nonidentical twins and their siblings to test two predictions from the theory that facial averageness reflects genetic quality. First, we use biometrical modelling to estimate the heritability of facial averageness, which is necessary if it reflects genetic quality. We also test for a genetic association between facial averageness and facial attractiveness. Second, we assess whether paternal age at conception (a proxy of mutation load) is associated with facial averageness and facial attractiveness. Our findings are mixed with respect to our hypotheses. While we found that facial averageness does have a genetic component, and a significant phenotypic correlation exists between facial averageness and attractiveness, we did not find a genetic correlation between facial averageness and attractiveness (therefore, we cannot say that the genes that affect facial averageness also affect facial attractiveness) and paternal age at conception was not negatively associated with facial averageness. These findings support some of the previously untested assumptions of the ‘genetic benefits’ account of facial averageness, but cast doubt on others.