In the mouse, Mus musculus, survival in agricultural fields that are regularly sprayed with a herbicide is determined by the genotype for a detoxification enzyme encoded by a gene with two alleles, F and S. The relative fitness values for the genotypes are Genotype Relative fitness FF 0.72 FS 1.00 SS 0.45 Calculate the equilibrium frequencies of the alleles.

Key Concepts

Genotype and Alleles

A genotype refers to the genetic constitution of an organism, specifically the alleles present at a given locus. In this case, the alleles F and S represent different versions of a gene that encodes a detoxification enzyme. Understanding how these alleles interact to form different genotypes (FF, FS, SS) is crucial for analyzing their relative fitness in the context of natural selection.

Relative Fitness

Relative fitness is a measure of the reproductive success of a genotype compared to others in the population. It indicates how well a genotype can survive and reproduce in a given environment. In this scenario, the relative fitness values (0.72 for FF, 1.00 for FS, and 0.45 for SS) help determine which genotypes are more advantageous in the presence of herbicide, influencing allele frequencies over time.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a principle that describes the genetic variation in a population that remains constant from one generation to the next in the absence of evolutionary influences. It provides a mathematical framework to calculate allele frequencies based on genotype frequencies. In this question, applying the Hardy-Weinberg principle will help determine the equilibrium frequencies of alleles F and S based on their relative fitness values.