Concept explainers
To determine:
The consequences that might have happened to the color-blind allele in Pingelapese population after the typhoon if Mwanenised had had no children or only five children.
Introduction:
Inbreeding is a phenomenon, in which mating is performed between closely related individuals (such as cousins). Inbreeding causes homozygosity and there are several diseases in humans that are linked with homozygous recessive alleles. Thus, inbreeding increases the chances of such diseases.
Explanation of Solution
When typhoon occurred in Pingelap Island, only twenty people were able to survive that typhoon. So, inbreeding was the only option for them. Mwanenised was one of the male survivors of the typhoon. He was the heterozygote carrier of the color blind allele (achromatopsia disease). He had ten children, 50% of the children were normal and 50% were the carriers. As inbreeding occurred, achromatopsia became common among people.
Mwanenised was responsible for spreading the genes of the disease on island. If he had had no children, the disease would not have spread across the Island. If Mwanenised had only five children, the incidence of disease would be lesser than previous and lesser individuals would have had the disease.
Inbreeding should be avoided as it results in homozygosity of alleles that can cause several diseases in humans.
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Chapter 16 Solutions
BIOLOGY W/CONNECT AC 1 YR