Question

you have been collecting data on a species of fly and find that a1a1 individuals produce, on average 23 offspring while a1a2, individuals produce, on average, 26 offspring and the a2a2 individuals produce, on average, 29 offspring each generation. *note a1 is dominant and a2 is recessive - make predictions for the outcome of selection at this gene locus.

Answer 1

In a species of fly where a1 is dominant and a2 recessive, a2a2 individuals producing the most offspring leads to a prediction of increased frequency of the a2 allele in the population, a process known as directional selection.

Step-by-step explanation:

You have been collecting data on a species of fly and find that a1a1 individuals produce, on average 23 offspring while a1a2, individuals produce, on average, 26 offspring and the a2a2 individuals produce, on average, 29 offspring each generation. Since a1 is dominant and a2 is recessive, it can be predicted that selection at this gene locus would favor the a2 allele because a2a2 individuals have the highest reproductive success.

Over time, we would expect the frequency of a2 to increase in the population, provided that there are no other factors at play (such as sexual selection, genetic drift, or gene flow) that would influence these frequencies differently. This change in allele frequency is a form of evolution known as directional selection, where one phenotype is favored over others, leading to a shift in allele frequencies within the population over time.