For a gene A, a geneticist studying a population of butterflies found the following genotypes:$\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array}{r}
108 \
144 \
48
\end{array}
\begin{array}{lll}
\text {$ A A $ butterflies }\
\text {Aa butterflies }\
\text { aa butterflies}
\end{array}
\end{array}$

-What is the frequency of the a allele in the butterfly population?

Question

For a gene A, a geneticist studying a population of butterflies found the following genotypes:$\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array}{r}
108 \
144 \
48
\end{array} 
\begin{array}{lll}
 \text {$ A A $ butterflies }\
 \text {Aa butterflies }\
 \text { aa butterflies}
\end{array}
\end{array}$

-What is the frequency of the a allele in the butterfly population?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The frequency of the a allele can be calculated using the formula for allele frequency in a population: $p + q = 1$, where $p$ is the frequency of one allele (A in this case) and $q$ is the frequency of the other allele (a in this case). First, calculate the total number of alleles by multiplying the number of individuals by 2 (since each individual has two alleles for a given gene). Here, $2 \times (108 + 144 + 48) = 600$ alleles in total. The number of a alleles is $2 \times 48$ (from aa individuals) + $144$ (from Aa individuals) = $96 + 144 = 240$. The frequency of the a allele ($q$) is $240 / 600 = 0.40$.

For a Gene A, a Geneticist Studying a Population of Butterflies