AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -To determine q, which is the frequency of the recessive allele in the population, simply take the square root of q2 which works out to be 0.632 (i.e. 0.632 x 0.632 = 0.4). So, q = 0.63. Since p + q = 1, then p must be 1-0.63 = 0.37.

Detailed explanation-2: -Another aspect of alleles and segregation is the concept of allele frequencies within a population. On an individual level, a person has a 0.5 chance of passing on one of two alleles for a given gene.

Detailed explanation-3: -The “2pq” in equation shows frequency of heterozygotes in the population. In the question, the genotype frequency of recessive population is (q2) = (16% or 0.16). Hence, frequency of recessive allele = q = 0.16 = 0.4.

Detailed explanation-4: -An allele frequency is calculated by dividing the number of times the allele of interest is observed in a population by the total number of copies of all the alleles at that particular genetic locus in the population. Allele frequencies can be represented as a decimal, a percentage, or a fraction.