Question

The kermode bear (ursus americanus kermodei) is a white variety of black bear that is found only in small island populations and in populations on the coastal mainland of british columbia. known to local aboriginal peoples as the spirit bear, the kermode is rare and people are unclear about how best to ensure its survival. scientists know that its white coat colour is due to a recessive allele. they rely on bear counts and dna testing of hair samples to estimate the frequency and distribution of this allele. estimated frequency of white kermode bears on two british columbia islands. location gribbell island princess royal island frequency of white bears0.30.1 predict the frequency of the white coat allele in the kermode bear population of 1) gribbell island 2) princess royal island round to 3 decimal places

Answer 1

The frequency of the recessive allele causing the white coat in Kermode bears is approximately 0.548 on Gribbell Island and 0.316 on Princess Royal Island, calculated using the Hardy-Weinberg principle.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves predicting the frequency of a recessive allele responsible for the white coat color in the Kermode bear population on Gribbell Island and Princess Royal Island.

To predict the frequency of the recessive allele, we can use the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle. Under this principle, the frequency of homozygous recessive individuals (white bears) is the square of the frequency of the recessive allele (q^2). Therefore, to find the frequency of the recessive allele (q), we take the square root of the frequency of the white bears.

• For Gribbell Island: q^2 = 0.30 for white bears. q = sqrt(0.30) ≈ 0.548.
• For Princess Royal Island: q^2 = 0.10 for white bears. q = sqrt(0.10) ≈ 0.316.