Table 2.

Association of caprine KRTAP15-1 variant copy number with cashmere traits (mean $\pm$ SE).${}^{\ast }$

Trait (unit)	Variant	Absent			One copy			Two copies		$P$ value
		Mean $\pm$ SE	$n$		Mean $\pm$ SE	$n$		Mean $\pm$ SE	$n$
Cashmere yield (g)	A	$\mathrm{417}\pm \mathrm{6.0}$	74		$\mathrm{417}\pm \mathrm{5.1}$	116		$\mathrm{423}\pm \mathrm{7.7}$	41	0.721
	B	$\mathrm{420}\pm \mathrm{5.3}$	117		$\mathrm{413}\pm \mathrm{5.5}$	95		$\mathrm{426}\pm \mathrm{10.0}$	19	0.289
	C	$\mathrm{420}\pm \mathrm{5.1}$	119		$\mathrm{415}\pm \mathrm{5.5}$	93		$\mathrm{422}\pm \mathrm{10.2}$	19	0.622
Crimped fibre length (cm)	A	$\mathrm{4.2}\pm \mathrm{0.06}$	74		$\mathrm{4.3}\pm \mathrm{0.06}$	116		$\mathrm{4.4}\pm \mathrm{0.08}$	41	0.222
	B	$\mathrm{4.3}\pm \mathrm{0.06}$	117		$\mathrm{4.3}\pm \mathrm{0.06}$	95		$\mathrm{4.3}\pm \mathrm{0.11}$	19	0.606
	C	$\mathrm{4.3}\pm \mathrm{0.06}$	119		$\mathrm{4.2}\pm \mathrm{0.06}$	93		$\mathrm{4.2}\pm \mathrm{0.11}$	19	0.273
Mean fibre diameter ($\mathrm{\mu }$m)	A	$\mathbf{13.6}\pm {\mathbf{0.06}}^{\mathrm{a}}$	$\mathbf{74}$		$\mathbf{13.4}\pm {\mathbf{0.05}}^{\mathrm{b}}$	$\mathbf{116}$		$\mathbf{13.4}\pm {\mathbf{0.08}}^{\mathrm{b}}$	$\mathbf{41}$	$\mathbf{0.022}$
	B	$\mathrm{13.4}\pm \mathrm{0.05}$	117		$\mathrm{13.4}\pm \mathrm{0.06}$	95		$\mathrm{13.6}\pm \mathrm{0.10}$	19	0.343
	C	$\mathbf{13.4}\pm {\mathbf{0.05}}^{\mathrm{b}}$	$\mathbf{119}$		$\mathbf{13.4}\pm {\mathbf{0.05}}^{\mathrm{b}}$	$\mathbf{93}$		$\mathbf{13.7}\pm {\mathbf{0.10}}^{\mathrm{a}}$	$\mathbf{19}$	$\mathbf{0.024}$

${}^{\ast }$ Estimated marginal means and standard errors (SEs) of those means derived from general linear mixed-effects models. “Gender” and “sire” were included in the models as a fixed factor and a random factor, respectively. Means within rows that do not share a superscript letter (${}^{\mathrm{a}}$ or ${}^{\mathrm{b}}$) are significantly ($P\mathit{<}\mathrm{0.05}$) different and are given in bold.