Quantitative Genetics

Early in the history of genetics a distinct field developed that became known as quantitative genetics. The focus of this field was not keeping track of specific genes and alleles, but the overall, diffuse effect of heredity versus environment in shaping phenotypes with a complex basis. This field made major contributions to statistics and is where, for example, the concept of least-squares linear regression originates. The concepts of heritability of a trait, manipulating phenotypes with the breeder's equation, and QTL mapping stem from this field.

Misconceptions

This field is often confused with population genetics. While there is overlap in a number of areas, and we can talk about the population genetics of quantitative traits, these are really two distinct fields.