QUESTION 1
Consider the Hardy Weinberg Equation p²+2pq+q2=1. What does “2pq” represent?
Homozygous dominant genotype frequency
Homozygous recessive genotype frequency
Heterozygous genotype genotype frequency
Dominant allele frequency
Recessive allele frequency
QUESTION 2
Consider the Hardy Weinberg Equation p²+2pq+q2=1. What does “p2” represent?
Homozygous dominant genotype frequency
Homozygous recessive genotype frequency
Heterozygous genotype genotype frequency
Dominant allele frequency
Recessive allele frequency
QUESTION 3
Consider the Hardy Weinberg Equation p²+2pq+q2=1. What does “q” represent?
Homozygous dominant genotype frequency
Homozygous recessive genotype frequency
Heterozygous genotype genotype frequency
Dominant allele frequency
Recessive allele frequency
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
Let’s break down the questions based on the Hardy-Weinberg equation ( p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1 ).
Question 1: What does “2pq” represent?
The correct answer is Heterozygous genotype frequency.
Explanation:
In the Hardy-Weinberg equation, ( p ) represents the frequency of the dominant allele, and ( q ) represents the frequency of the recessive allele. The term ( 2pq ) specifically represents the frequency of individuals with the heterozygous genotype, which contains one dominant allele and one recessive allele (i.e., ( Aa )).
In terms of genetic composition, the number of heterozygous individuals in a population is represented by ( 2pq ), because this accounts for all possible combinations of one ( p ) allele and one ( q ) allele in a diploid organism. Since both ( p ) and ( q ) can be inherited from either parent, we multiply ( p ) by ( q ) and then by 2 to cover both possibilities (dominant allele first or recessive allele first).
Question 2: What does “p²” represent?
The correct answer is Homozygous dominant genotype frequency.
Explanation:
In the Hardy-Weinberg equation, ( p^2 ) represents the frequency of individuals who are homozygous dominant for a particular gene (i.e., ( AA )). These individuals have two copies of the dominant allele (both ( A )).
Mathematically, ( p^2 ) arises from the probability that both alleles in a diploid individual are the dominant allele. Since the probability of inheriting a dominant allele from each parent is ( p ), the probability of getting two dominant alleles (one from each parent) is ( p \times p = p^2 ). This value represents the proportion of the population that is homozygous dominant for that gene.
Question 3: What does “q” represent?
The correct answer is Recessive allele frequency.
Explanation:
In the Hardy-Weinberg equation, ( q ) represents the frequency of the recessive allele in the population. The equation expresses allele frequencies as ( p + q = 1 ), meaning the sum of the dominant allele frequency (( p )) and the recessive allele frequency (( q )) equals 1. This value is important for understanding the genetic makeup of the population and can be used to predict the frequency of different genotypes.
In summary, the Hardy-Weinberg equation provides insights into the genetic structure of a population, assuming no evolution or other external factors are at play. The terms ( p^2 ), ( 2pq ), and ( q^2 ) reflect different genotype frequencies, and the terms ( p ) and ( q ) reflect the frequencies of the dominant and recessive alleles, respectively.