Question

within a squirrel population at the park, 16% show the recessive phenotype of curled tail (tt). what is the frequency of heterozygous (Tt) in the population?

Answer 1

The frequency of the heterozygous genotype (Tt) in the squirrel population at the park is 48%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The frequency of the heterozygous genotype (Tt) can be determined using the Hardy-Weinberg equation: p² + 2pq + q² = 1. In this equation, p represents the frequency of the dominant allele (T), and q represents the frequency of the recessive allele (t). We are given that 16% of the population shows the recessive phenotype of curled tail (tt). Since the recessive phenotype only occurs in individuals with the homozygous recessive genotype (tt), we can assume that q² = 0.16. Solving for q, we find that q = √0.16 = 0.4. Since we know that p + q = 1, we can calculate that p = 0.6. Therefore, the frequency of the heterozygous genotype (Tt) in the population is 2pq = 2(0.6)(0.4) = 0.48 or 48%.