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Describe how Heather Henter was able to show that parasitism success in wasps was a heritable trait that varied in the population.
On Jul 25, 2024
Heather Henter was able to show that parasitism success in wasps was a heritable trait that varied in the population through a series of experiments and observations. She first collected a population of wasps and measured their parasitism success, which is the ability to successfully lay eggs in a host organism. She then bred these wasps in controlled conditions and measured the parasitism success of their offspring.
By comparing the parasitism success of the parent wasps with that of their offspring, Henter was able to demonstrate that there was a significant correlation between the two, indicating that parasitism success is a heritable trait. Furthermore, she also observed that there was variation in the parasitism success among the offspring, indicating that this trait varied within the population.
Through these experiments and observations, Henter was able to provide evidence that parasitism success in wasps is a heritable trait that varies in the population, and not all individuals have the same level of success in parasitizing their hosts. This has important implications for understanding the evolution of parasitism in wasps and how it is maintained within the population.