Correlation scan: identifying genomic regions that affect genetic correlations applied to fertility traits

Reproductive traits are often genetically correlated. Yet, we dont fully understand the complexities, synergism, or trade-offs between male and female fertility. Here, we introduce correlation scan, a novel framework for identifying the drivers or antagonizers of the genetic correlation between male and female fertility traits across the bovine genome. The identification of these regions facilitates the understanding of the complexity of these traits. Although the methodology was applied to cattle phenotypes, using high-density SNP genotypes, the general framework developed can be applied to any species or traits, and it can easily accommodate genome sequence data.