Hardy–Weinberg Review Answers

1. If 98 out of 200 individuals in a population express the recessive phenotype, what percent of the population
are homozygous dominant?

Solution:

 Recessive phenotype implies homozygous genotype. q2 = 98 / 200 = 0.49

 q = 0.7
 p+q=1
 p + 0.7 = 1
 p = 0.3
 p2 = 0.32 = 0.09

2. If 98 out of 200 individuals in a population express the recessive phenotype, what percent of the population
are heterozygotes?

Solution:

 Recessive phenotype implies homozygous genotype. q2 = 98 / 200 = 0.49

 q = 0.7
 p+q=1
 p + 0.7 = 1
 p = 0.3
 2pq = 2 (0.7 * 0.3) = 0.42
 double check: p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1?
 double check: 0.09 + 0.42 + 0.49 = 1.

Brown hair (B) is dominant to blond hair (b). If there are 168 brown hairs in a population of 200:

3. What is the predicted frequency of heterozygotes?

Solution:

 BB + Bb = 168 / 200 = 0.84 = brown hairs

 bb = 1 - 0.84 = 0.16 = q2 blond hairs
 q = 0.4
 p = 1 - q = 1 - 0.4 = 0.6
 2pq = 2 (0.4 * 0.6) = 0.48

4. What is the predicted frequency of homozygous dominant?

Solution:

 p2 = 0.62 = 0.36

5. What is the predicted frequency of homozygous recessive?

Solution:

 q2 = 0.42 = 0.16
  double check: p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1?
 double check: 0.62< + 2 (0.6 * 0.4) + 0.42 = 0.36 + 0.48 + 0.16 = 1.

If blonds occur in 36% of the population:

6. What is the allele frequency for b?

Solution:

 bb = q2 = 0.36
 q = b = 0.6

7. What is the allele frequency for B?

Solution:

 p+q=1
 p + 0.6 = 1
 q = 1 - 0.6 = 0.4

8. What is the predicted frequency of heterozygotes?

Solution:

 2pq = 2 (0.6 * 0.4) = 0.48

9. What is the predicted frequency of homozygous dominant?

Solution:

 p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1
 p2 + 0.48 + 0.36 = 1
 p2 = 1 - (0.48 + 0.36)
 p2 = 1 - 0.84
 p2 = 0.16