Table 5 Characteristics of the simulated animal populations.

Total number of animals

280000

Number of animals per generation

40000

Sex ratio (males : females)

1 : 1

Number of contemporary groups per generation

5 (with 2 contemporary groups each represented in 2 subsequent generations)

Number of breeding animals per generation

9400 (9000 dams/400 sires)

Number of offspring per dam or sire

dams: 5

sires: 500 (n = 40) or

150 (n = 160) or

5 (n = 200)

Distribution of additive genetic effects

a₁ ~ N(0, 4.8) and a_2–5 ~ N(0, 1.0)

with r_g12 = r_g13 = 0.20 and

r_g14 = r_g45 = -0.20 and

a_offspring = 0.5 (a_sire + a_dam) + m

Distribution of residual effects

e ~ N(0, x)

with x so that h²₁ = 0.50,

h²₂ = h²₄ = 0.10, and

h²₃ = h²₅ = 0.25

Prevalences of binary traits after dichotomization

T₂, T₅: 0.25, and

T₃, T₄: 0.10

Number of QTL (T2)

2

Number of genetic marker per QTL

2

Number of alleles per genetic marker

5

Recombination rate between markers and QTL

0.0 or 0.1

PIC of genetic markers

0.9 or 0.7