Hardy-Weinberg Problems 2 6.

After graduation, you and 19 friends build a raft, sail to a deserted island, and
1. In Drosophila (fruit fly), the allele for normal wing length is dominant over the start a new population, totally isolated from the world. Two of your friends carry
allele for short wings. In a population of 1000 individuals, 360 show the recessive (that is, are heterozygous for) the recessive cf allele, which in homozygotes causes
phenotype. How many individuals would you expect to be homozygous dominant cystic fibrosis. Assuming that the frequency of this allele does not change as the
for the trait? population grows, what will be the instance of cystic fibrosis on your island?
2 2 2 2
q = 360/1000 homozygous dominant = p p + 2pq + q = 1
2 2
q = .36 = 0.4 2pq = 2/20
q = 0.6 = 0.16 2pq = 0.10 Because half the alleles in these individuals is dominant and half is
p = 0.4 0.16(1000) = 160 homozygous dominant individuals recessive; divide by 2 to get p and q
2. The allele for a widow's peak (hairline) is dominant over the allele for a straight
hairline. In a population of 500 individuals, 25% show the recessive phenotype. How p = 0.5
many individuals would you expect to be homozygous dominant and heterozygous q = 0.5
for the trait?
2 2
q = 0.25 homozygous dominant = p heterozygous = 2pq 7. There are 100 students in a class. Ninety-six did well in the course whereas four
2
q = 0.5 = 0.5 = 2(0.5)(0.5) blew it totally and received a grade of F. Sorry. In the highly unlikely event that
p = 0.5 = 0.25 = 0.5 these traits are genetic rather than environmental, if these traits involve dominant
0.25(500) = 125 individuals 0.5(500 ) = 250 ind. and recessive alleles, and if the four (4%) represent the frequency of the
homozygous recessive condition, please calculate the following:
2
3. The allele for a hitchhiker's thumb is dominant over a straight thumb. In a q = 0.04
population of 1000 individuals, 510 show the dominant phenotype. How many A. The frequency of the recessive allele.
individuals would you expect for each of the three possible genotypes for this trait? q = 0.2
2
510 = dominant (p + 2pq) B. The frequency of the dominant allele.
490 = recessive p = 0.8
2 2
q = 490/1000 homozygous dominant = p heterozygous = 2pq C. The frequency of heterozygous individuals.
2 2
q = 0.49 = 0.3 = 2(.3)(.7) 2pq = 2(0.2)(0.8) = 0.32
q = 0.7 = 0.09 = .42
p = 0.3 0.09(1000) = 90 individuals 0.42(1000) = 420 ind. 8. Within a population of butterflies, the color brown (B) is dominant over the color
white (b). And, 40% of all butterflies are white. Given this simple information, which
4. 1. If 9% of an African population is born with a severe form of sickle-cell anemia is something that is very likely to be on an exam, calculate the following:
2
(ss), what percentage of the population will be more resistant to malaria because q = 0.4
they are heterozygous(Ss) for the sickle-cell gene? q = 0.63
2
q = 0.09 heterozygous = 2pq p = 0.37
q = 0.3 = 2(0.3)(0.7)
p = 0.7 = 0.42 A. The percentage of butterflies in the population that are heterozygous.
5. This is a classic data set on wing coloration in the scarlet tiger moth (Panaxia 2pq = 2(0.37)(0.63) = 0.47
dominula). Coloration in this species had been previously shown to behave as a B. The frequency of homozygous dominant individuals.
2 2
single-locus, two-allele system with incomplete dominance. Data for 1612 p = 0.37 = 0.13
individuals are given below:
White-spotted (AA) =1469 Intermediate (Aa) = 138 Little spotting (aa) =5
Calculate the allele frequencies ( p and q )
Total population = 1612
2
q = 5/1612
2
q = 0.003
q = 0.05 p = 0.95