Asked by Sierra Harrison on Jun 08, 2024

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In a certain population, the allele causing sickle cell anemia has an allele frequency of 0.2. If the population is in genetic equilibrium for this allele, what fraction of the population would be carriers for the allele (heterozygous individuals) ?

A) 0.24
B) 0.32
C) 0.42
D) 0.48
E) 0.80

Genetic Equilibrium

A state in which the frequency of alleles in a population remains constant over time, assuming no evolutionary forces are at work.

Allele Frequency

The relative frequency of an allele (variant of a gene) at a particular gene locus in a population, expressed as a fraction or percentage.

Heterozygous Individuals

Organisms having two different alleles for a specific gene, one inherited from each parent.

  • Examine the ways in which the frequencies of alleles can foretell characteristics of a population.
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AA
adnan ahmed mohammedJun 10, 2024
Final Answer :
B
Explanation :
The frequency of carriers (heterozygous individuals) can be calculated using the Hardy-Weinberg principle, which is 2pq, where p is the frequency of the dominant allele and q is the frequency of the recessive allele. Given q = 0.2, p = 1 - q = 0.8. Therefore, 2pq = 2(0.8)(0.2) = 0.32.