Question

in a large random mating population, there is a single locus with alleles a and a that you are interested in. you observe the frequency of the a allele is 0.6. if the homozygous recessive genotype has a fitness level of 50% in the current generation, what is the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype among the progeny born in the next generation?

Answer 1

Given the allele frequency of a is 0.6 in a large random mating population, the homozygous recessive genotype (aa) would have a frequency of 0.36 before fitness is considered. Accounting for the 50% fitness level of the aa genotype, the expected frequency among progeny in the next generation would be 18%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of this question pertains to population genetics within Biology, more specifically to the calculation of genotype frequencies in a population given allele frequencies and fitness levels. When the frequency of the allele a is 0.6, the frequency of the allele A is 0.4 (since p + q = 1). Assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, we can calculate the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype (aa) as q². Before considering fitness, the frequency of aa would be 0.6², or 0.36. However, given that this genotype has a fitness level of 50%, we adjust this frequency to account for the reduced survival or reproductive rate. Thus, the expected frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype among the progeny, accounting for fitness, would be 0.36 x 0.5, equating to 0.18 or 18%.

Answer 2

The frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype among the progeny born in the next generation is 36%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype among the progeny born in the next generation can be calculated using the Hardy-Weinberg equation. In this case, the genotype frequencies will be q² for the homozygous recessive genotype, where q is the frequency of the recessive allele. Since the frequency of the recessive allele (a) is given as 0.6, the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype (aa) will be 0.6² = 0.36 or 36%. Therefore, the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype among the progeny born in the next generation is 36%.