Which one of the following statements best describes narrow sense heritability?

Narrow sense heritability specifically refers to the proportion of the total phenotypic variance of a trait that is attributed to the additive genetic variance, which is the genetic contribution that parents pass on to their offspring. This concept highlights how much of a trait can be inherited based on the specific alleles contributed by the parents. It focuses on the genetics that influences the resemblance between parents and offspring, making it a key concept in understanding how traits can evolve over generations in a population.

The other statements, while related to genetics and heritability, do not accurately encapsulate the specific definition of narrow sense heritability. For instance, total heritability encompasses both additive and non-additive genetic variances, while assessing genetic contributions to total variation includes both narrow and broad sense heritability. Thus, the correct answer captures the essence of narrow sense heritability by emphasizing the additive genetic components that contribute to the inheritance of traits from parents to offspring.