Full color (D) in domestic cats is dominant over dilute...

Full color $(D)$ in domestic cats is dominant over dilute color $(d) .$ Of 325 cats obser ved, 194 have full color and 131 have dilute color. a. If these cats are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the dilution locus, what is the frequency of the dilute allele? b. How many of the 194 cats with full color are likely to be heterozygous?

Full color $(D)$ in domestic cats is dominant over dilute color $(d) .$ Of 325 cats obser ved, 194 have full color and 131 have dilute color.
a. If these cats are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the dilution locus, what is the frequency of the dilute allele?
b. How many of the 194 cats with full color are likely to be heterozygous?

Key Concepts

Heterozygote Frequency Determination

Determining the frequency of heterozygous individuals involves using allele frequencies to calculate the proportion of the population that carries two different alleles at a locus. Under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the expected frequency of heterozygotes is calculated as 2pq, where p and q are the frequencies of the dominant and recessive alleles, respectively. This helps in estimating how many individuals carry the recessive allele even though they may not express it phenotypically.

Dominance and Recessiveness

Dominance refers to the phenomenon where the presence of a dominant allele masks the expression of a recessive allele in heterozygous individuals. This basic concept in genetics explains why individuals carrying one copy of the dominant allele can exhibit the dominant trait even if they also carry a recessive allele.

Allele Frequency Calculation

Calculating allele frequencies involves determining the proportion of different alleles in a population based on observed phenotypes or genotypes. For instance, when one trait is recessive, the frequency of individuals exhibiting the recessive phenotype can be used to estimate the allele frequency by taking the square root of the corresponding genotype frequency, assuming the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

This principle in population genetics states that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences. It provides a mathematical framework to predict how genetic variation is transmitted and to identify factors such as selection, mutation, migration, or genetic drift when deviations from the expected frequencies occur.

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