Question

Suppose that a population of several thousand humans has been isolated on an island for several generations and that in the imaginary population there are albinos whose lack of pigment is due to a recessive gene. The members of the population choose their mates without reference to skin colour and there is no difference between the fertility of various genetic groups nor in the average age at which members of the various group die. a. If 4% of the population is albino, what percentage would you expect to be heterozygous for albinism? b. What is the percentage of the albinos in the population likely to be in 100 years time? Give an important extra assumption that you had to make in order to answer b. C. Do not question the facts that you were given about the imaginary population but consider the special circumstances which must be fulfilled if the Hardy-Weinberg equation is to be applicable.​

Answer 1

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Step-by-step explanation:

a. According to the Hardy-Weinberg law, the frequency of the recessive allele (q) can be calculated as the square root of the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype (aa). Given that 4% of the population is albino (aa), the frequency of aa = 0.04, and the frequency of q = sqrt(0.04) = 0.2. The frequency of the dominant allele (p) is then 1 - q = 0.8. Therefore, the expected percentage of heterozygotes (Aa) can be calculated as 2pq = 2 × 0.8 × 0.2 = 0.32, or 32%.

b. To predict the percentage of albinos in the population in 100 years' time, we need to make certain assumptions, such as the maintenance of the same conditions that allow the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to be applicable. This includes the absence of mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection. Under these assumptions, the allele frequencies remain constant from generation to generation, and the predicted frequency of the aa genotype (albinos) would be q^2 = 0.2^2 = 0.04, or 4%. Therefore, the percentage of albinos in the population would remain constant at 4%.

c. The Hardy-Weinberg equation applies under certain conditions, which are rarely met in real populations. These include random mating, large population size, absence of mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection. Violation of these conditions can lead to changes in allele frequencies and departure from the equilibrium. Therefore, the Hardy-Weinberg law is a useful theoretical tool for understanding the genetic structure of populations, but it has limited practical applications in real-world scenarios.