The ability to taste the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is an autosomal dominant trait. The inability to taste PTC is a recessive condition. In a sample of 500 people, 360 have the ability to taste PTC and 140 do not. Calculate the frequency of the recessive allele.
Table of contents
- 1. Introduction to Genetics51m
- 2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance3h 37m
- 3. Extensions to Mendelian Inheritance2h 41m
- 4. Genetic Mapping and Linkage2h 28m
- 5. Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses1h 21m
- 6. Chromosomal Variation1h 48m
- 7. DNA and Chromosome Structure56m
- 8. DNA Replication1h 10m
- 9. Mitosis and Meiosis1h 34m
- 10. Transcription1h 0m
- 11. Translation58m
- 12. Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes1h 19m
- 13. Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes44m
- 14. Genetic Control of Development44m
- 15. Genomes and Genomics1h 50m
- 16. Transposable Elements47m
- 17. Mutation, Repair, and Recombination1h 6m
- 18. Molecular Genetic Tools19m
- 19. Cancer Genetics29m
- 20. Quantitative Genetics1h 26m
- 21. Population Genetics50m
- 22. Evolutionary Genetics29m
21. Population Genetics
Hardy Weinberg
Problem 10c
Textbook Question
Consider a population in which the frequency of allele A is p = 0.7 and the frequency of allele a is q = 0.3 and where the alleles are codominant. What will be the allele frequencies after one generation if the following occurs?
wAA = 1, wAa = 0.99, waa = 0.98

1
Step 1: Understand the problem. The question involves calculating allele frequencies after one generation under selection. The alleles A and a are codominant, meaning heterozygotes (Aa) have a distinct phenotype. Fitness values (wAA, wAa, waa) are provided for each genotype.
Step 2: Calculate the genotype frequencies before selection. Use the Hardy-Weinberg principle to determine the initial genotype frequencies: f(AA) = p², f(Aa) = 2pq, and f(aa) = q². Substitute p = 0.7 and q = 0.3 into these formulas.
Step 3: Apply the fitness values to adjust the genotype frequencies. Multiply each genotype frequency by its respective fitness value: f'(AA) = f(AA) * wAA, f'(Aa) = f(Aa) * wAa, and f'(aa) = f(aa) * waa. This gives the adjusted frequencies after selection.
Step 4: Normalize the adjusted genotype frequencies to ensure they sum to 1. Calculate the total frequency after selection: Total = f'(AA) + f'(Aa) + f'(aa). Then divide each adjusted frequency by this total to obtain the normalized frequencies.
Step 5: Calculate the new allele frequencies. Use the normalized genotype frequencies to determine the allele frequencies: p' = f'(AA) + 0.5 * f'(Aa) and q' = f'(aa) + 0.5 * f'(Aa). These are the allele frequencies after one generation.

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Allele Frequency
Allele frequency refers to how often a particular allele appears in a population relative to the total number of alleles for that gene. In this case, the frequencies of alleles A and a are given as p=0.7 and q=0.3, respectively. Understanding allele frequencies is crucial for predicting genetic variation and evolutionary changes within a population.
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Fitness and Selection
Fitness in genetics refers to the reproductive success of an organism relative to others in the population. The given fitness values (wAA, wAa, waa) indicate how well each genotype can survive and reproduce. This concept is essential for understanding how natural selection can influence allele frequencies over generations, as genotypes with higher fitness will contribute more to the next generation.
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Natural Selection
Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium is a principle that describes the genetic variation in a population under certain conditions, where allele frequencies remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences. However, when selection pressures are applied, as indicated by the different fitness values, the equilibrium is disrupted, leading to changes in allele frequencies that can be calculated using the fitness values provided.
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