You sample a population of butterflies and find that 56% are heterozygous at a particular locus. What should be the frequency of the homozygous individuals in this population?
A) 0.08
B) 0.09
C) 0.70
D) 0.50

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If 56% are heterozygous, that leaves 44% for the homozygous individuals. Since there are only two possible homozygous genotypes (each individual is either homozygous dominant or homozygous recessive), the frequency of each must be 22% (half of 44%). Therefore, the frequency of homozygous individuals is 0.22 + 0.22 = 0.44 or 44%. The answer is D, 0.50, which is the closest option to 44%.

You Sample a Population of Butterflies and Find That 56