In a population of 200 individuals at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, 72 were homozygous recessive for the character of eye color (cc).One hundred individuals from this population died from a fatal disease.If 36 of the survivors are homozygous recessive, how many heterozygous individuals are in the new population?
A) 16
B) 36
C) 40
D) 48
E) 60

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Initially, the frequency of cc (homozygous recessive) is 72/200 = 0.36, so q^2 = 0.36, and q = 0.6. Therefore, p = 1 - q = 0.4. The frequency of heterozygous individuals (2pq) is 2 * 0.4 * 0.6 = 0.48. In the new population of 100 individuals, 36 are cc, so the frequency of cc is 36/100 = 0.36, which means q = 0.6 and p = 0.4 remain the same. Thus, the number of heterozygous individuals is 0.48 * 100 = 48.

In a Population of 200 Individuals at Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, 72