If a population with two alleles is at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the frequency of one allele is 0.7,what is the heterozygote frequency?
A) 0.7
B) 0.42
C) 0.3
D) 0.21
E) 0

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation, p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1, where p is the frequency of one allele, q is the frequency of the other allele, and pq is the frequency of heterozygotes. If the frequency of one allele is 0.7, then the frequency of the other allele is 0.3 (since together they must equal 1). Therefore, the heterozygote frequency is 2(0.7)(0.3) = 0.42.

If a Population with Two Alleles Is at Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium