Heterozygosity is defined as the presence of two different alleles of a gene at a given locus in the genome of an individual. Heterozygosity can be detected at the level of the DNA RNA or protein. The term is also sometimes used to refer to the state of being heterozygous at multiple loci in the genome.
Heterozygosity is thought to be important for the maintenance of genetic diversity and for evolutionary change. It has been shown that heterozygosity is negatively correlated with inbreeding depression a measure of the fitness loss that occurs when individuals are homozygous for deleterious alleles.
There are a number of different measures of heterozygosity that can be used depending on the type of data available. For DNA data measures of heterozygosity include nucleotide diversity which is a measure of the number of nucleotide substitutions per site and allele frequencies. For RNA data measures of heterozygosity include the number of base pairs that are different between two alleles and the number of nucleotides that are different between two alleles. For protein data measures of heterozygosity include the number of amino acids that are different between two alleles and the number of peptides that are different between two alleles.
Heterozygosity is often used as a measure of genetic diversity. It is important to remember however that heterozygosity is not the same as genetic diversity. Heterozygosity simply refers to the presence of two different alleles at a given locus while genetic diversity includes all the different alleles that are present in a population.
What does HET mean in snakes?
HET stands for “Highly Encouraged to Test” which means that a snake with this mutation is more likely to produce offspring with the desired trait.
What does HET mean in horses?
HET stands for “Horse of a Different Color” which is used to describe a horse with coat color that does not conform to the breed standard.
What does HET mean in dogs?
HET stands for ” Hermaphrodite ” which is an animal that has both male and female reproductive organs.
What does HET mean in cats?
HET stands for “Highly Elliptical Trainer” which is a type of exercise equipment that is elliptical in shape.
What does HET mean in rabbits?
HET stands for “Hairless Elliptical Trainer” which is a type of exercise equipment that is elliptical in shape and does not have any fur.
What does HET mean in birds?
HET stands for “Hand-Eggs-Toes” which is a method of sexing birds in which the number of toes on each foot is counted.
What does HET mean in lizards?
HET stands for “Highly Explosive Trainers” which are lizards that have been trained to detonate explosives.
What does HET mean in frogs?
HET stands for “Highly Edible Toads” which are frogs that are considered to be edible.
What does HET mean in fish?
HET stands for “Highly Eutrophic Tanks” which are fish tanks that have high levels of nutrients.
What does HET mean in turtles?
HET stands for “Highly Encouraged to Test” which means that a turtle with this mutation is more likely to produce offspring with the desired trait.
