Question

Assume a population of purple and white flower pea plants (2000 total plants) is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequency of white flower plants is 0.16. On the basis of this information, determine the following:

a. The frequency (decimal form) of heterozygous purple plants. Round to 2 significant digits.

b. The frequency (decimal form) of the dominant allele (1 significant digit).

c. The number of homozygous purple flower plants.

I tried to take 2pg = 2(0.84)(0.16) for part A and got 0.268 (approximately 0.27) for the heterozygous purple flower but that was incorrect.4

Answer 1

a)
`0.48`

b)

`p= 0.4\\q=0.6`

c)
`720`

Step-by-step explanation:

Given ,

Frequency of white flower plant (
`p^2`) is
`0.16`

Thus, frequency of dominant white allele (
`p`) is equal to
`√(0.16) \\= 0.4`

As we that, as per Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation

`p+q=1`

Substituting the value of
`p` in above equation, we get

`0.4+q=1\\q=1-0.4\\q=0.6`

a) As per Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation

`p^2+q^2+2pq=1\\`

Substituting the given and calculated values in above equation, we get -

`0.4^2+0.6^2+2pq=1\\0.16+0.36+2pq=1\\2pq=1-0.16-0.36\\2pq=0.48`

b) The frequency (decimal form) of the dominant allele

`p= 0.4\\q=0.6`

c) number of homozygous purple flower plants

`=` frequency of purple flower plants (
`q^2`)
`*` Number of flowers

`= q^2 * 2000\\= (0.6^2)*2000\\= 0.36 * 2000\\= 720`