Suppose 64% of a remote mountain village can taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC)and must therefore have at least one copy of the dominant PTC taster allele.If this population conforms to Hardy-Weinberg expectations for this gene,what percentage of the population must be heterozygous for this trait?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of heterozygotes (Aa) can be calculated as 2pq, where p is the frequency of the dominant allele (PTC taster) and q is the frequency of the recessive allele (non-taster).

Since 64% of the population can taste PTC, the frequency of the dominant allele can be calculated as the square root of 0.64, which is approximately 0.8 (assuming that the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium). Therefore, the frequency of the recessive allele is 1 - 0.8 = 0.2.

Now, using the formula 2pq, the frequency of heterozygotes can be calculated as 2 x 0.8 x 0.2 = 0.32 or 32%. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Suppose 64% of a Remote Mountain Village Can Taste Phenylthiocarbamide