A wildflower normally bears blue flowers. Occasionally, plants with pink flowers are observed in wild populations. Flower color is controlled at a single locus, with the pink allele completely recessive to the blue allele. In one population, 25 pink flowers and 3291 blue flowers were found. a. Calculate the expected allele frequencies and genotype frequencies if the population were in HWE. b. The mean # of pods of these plants were examined. Assume that heterozygotes are as fit as homozygous blue, and that seeds from both pink and blue all suffer about the same mortality rate after germinating. Calculate the relative fitness of each genotype. c. Predict quantitatively the effect of natural selection on the frequencies of phenotypes in the next generation. Blue: mean # of plants: 19.33 # of plants: 39 Pink: mean # of plants: 13.08 # of plants: 24
Evolutionary Genetics
Evolution is known as continuous changes that occur to adjust organisms in their changing environment over many generations. Various theories have been proposed to illustrate the origin of life and organic evolution. The most accepted one is the theory of natural selection by Charles Darwin. According to his postulate, organisms undergo a struggle for existence due to overproduction. To survive in nature, they acquire variations. The inheritable variations are selected by nature, and it leads to the survival of the fittest.
Phenotype Frequency
The majority of populations have a certain degree of variation in their genetic pools. Scientists can predict the genetic variation happening over time by measuring the amount of genetic variation in a population and these predictions assist them in gaining important insights into the processes that allow organisms to adapt to the environment or to develop into new species over generations. This process is referred to as the process of evolution.
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium
The frequencies of allele and genotype were maintained constant from one generation to another due to the absence of other evolutionary forces. It is otherwise called the Hardy Weinberg principle the field of population genetics.
A wildflower normally bears blue flowers. Occasionally, plants with pink flowers are observed in wild populations. Flower color is controlled at a single locus, with the pink allele completely recessive to the blue allele. In one population, 25 pink flowers and 3291 blue flowers were found.
a. Calculate the expected allele frequencies and genotype frequencies if the population were in HWE.
b. The mean # of pods of these plants were examined. Assume that heterozygotes are as fit as homozygous blue, and that seeds from both pink and blue all suffer about the same mortality rate after germinating. Calculate the relative fitness of each genotype.
c. Predict quantitatively the effect of natural selection on the frequencies of
Blue: mean # of plants: 19.33 # of plants: 39
Pink: mean # of plants: 13.08 # of plants: 24
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