Coat color in sheep is determined by a single gene. Allele B, for white wool, is
ID: 24050 • Letter: C
Question
Coat color in sheep is determined by a single gene. Allele B, for white wool, is dominant over allele b,for black wool. We have followed a population of sheep for two years. Below are the statistics we have
compiled.
Year 1 Year 2
White sheep 489 682
Black sheep 128 176
Total number of individuals 617 858
a) Determine the frequency of both alleles (B & b) in year 1.
b) Determine the frequency of both alleles (B & b) in year 2.
c) Is this population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium? Why or Why not?
d) If the allelic frequencies for a particular gene in a population remain constant from year to year,
what does this mean about the evolution of wool color in this population of sheep?
Explanation / Answer
Coat color in sheep is determined by a single gene. Allele B, for white wool, is dominant over allele b,
for black wool. We have followed a population of sheep for two years. Below are the statistics we have
compiled.
Year 1 Year 2
White sheep 489 682
Black sheep 128 176
Total number of individuals 617 858
a) Determine the frequency of both alleles (B & b) in year 1.
BY USING SQUARE ROOT METHOD
128/617= .2074 . .--------- . Q^2
q = freq b = .2074 = .45
p = freq B = .55
b) Determine the frequency of both alleles (B & b) in year 2.
176/858= .2051 . .--------- . Q^2
q = freq b = .2051 = .45
p = freq B = .55
c) Is this population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium? Why or Why not?
It is in H-W equilibrium, because there was no appreciable change in frequencies from year 1 to year 2
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