Familial resemblance for anthropometrical traits in a Bulgarian population

Genetic influences on body and craniofacial morphology have been studied on a sample of 251 fathers and 251 mothers and their 502 children over 15 years in 251 urban Bulgarian families. Midparent-offspring correlation coefficients are consistently higher than those from single parent-offspring. However, these values are lower than those expected under exclusive polygenic model, indicating considerable environmental influences. Dominance could be present for 3 body traits and for 2 cranio-facial traits. The hypothesis of higher maternal influence could be proposed for biacromial diameter and of higher paternal influence for head height, nose height and for ear height and breadth. The pattern of the different parent-offspring correlations (father-daugther, fatherson, mother-daughter, mother-son) is not compatible with a hypothesis of X-linkage heredity.