Exam 22: Population and Evolutionary Genetics

In a population that meets the Hardy -Weinberg equilibrium assumptions, 81 percent of the individuals are homozygous for a recessive allele. What percentage of the individuals would be expected to be heterozygous for this locus in the next generation?

Selection is the differential reproduction of genotypes, resulting from their variable fitness.

Define the term speciation.

Present a rationale for using DNA sequence polymorphisms as an index of genetic diversity. Is genetic diversity directly proportional to evolutionary (phylogenetic) diversity?

Suppose that a given gene undergoes a mutation to a dominant allele such that 2 out of 100,000 offspring exhibit the new mutant phenotype. Assuming that these offspring are heterozygous, what is the mutation rate for the gene?

If a gene has three alleles in a population, their frequencies must add up to 1.5.

What does the variable 2pq represent?

Assuming that p = 0.3 for a population in Hardy -Weinberg equilibrium, what would be the expected frequency of heterozygotes for the involved allelic pair?

A number of mechanisms operate to maintain genetic diversity in a population. Why is such diversity favored?

Which general term is used to group various biological and behavioral properties of organisms that act to prevent or reduce interbreeding?

Why are some proteins more likely than others to diverge within a species?

In a population of cattle, the following color distribution was noted: 36 percent red (RR), 48 percent roan (Rr), and 16 percent white (rr). Is this population in a Hardy -Weinberg equilibrium? What will be the distribution of genotypes in the next generation if the Hardy -Weinberg assumptions are met?

________ is a group of individuals belonging to the same species that live in a defined geographic area and actually or potentially interbreed.