Question

In a large population of randomly reproducing rabbits, a recessive allele r comprises 80% of the alleles for a gene. What percentage of the rabbits would you expect to have the recessive phenotype?

A. 4%
B. 32%
C. 64%
D. 80%
E. 100%

Answer 1

Using the Hardy-Weinberg equation, the percentage of rabbits with the recessive phenotype when the recessive allele comprises 80% of the alleles is 64%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves understanding the Hardy-Weinberg principle, which is a key concept in Biology that relates to genetic variation within a population. Given that the recessive allele r comprises 80% of the alleles for a gene in rabbits, we can use the Hardy-Weinberg equation (p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1) to determine the percentage of rabbits with the recessive phenotype. If q represents the frequency of the recessive allele, then q is 0.8 (or 80%), and the frequency of homozygous recessive individuals would be q2, which is 0.82 or 64%. Therefore, you would expect 64% of the rabbits to have the recessive phenotype.