In a population of flowers growing in a meadow, C1 and C2 are autosomal codominant alleles that control flower color. The alleles are polymorphic in the population, with f(C₁) = 0.80 and f(C₂) = 0.20. Flowers that are C₁C₁ are yellow, orange flowers are C₁C₂, and C₂C₂ flowers are red. A storm blows a new species of hungry insects into the meadow, and they begin to eat yellow and orange flowers but not red flowers. The predation exerts strong natural selection on the flower population, resulting in relative fitness values of C₁C₁ = 0.30, C₁C₂ = 0.60, and C₂C₂ = 1.0. If predation continues, what are the allele frequencies when the second generation mates?

Key Concepts

Allele Frequency

Allele frequency refers to how often a particular allele appears in a population relative to the total number of alleles for that gene. It is expressed as a proportion or percentage and is crucial for understanding genetic variation and evolution within a population. In this scenario, the initial frequencies of alleles C₁ and C₂ are given, which will change due to natural selection.

Codominance

Codominance is a genetic scenario where two different alleles for a gene are both expressed in the phenotype of a heterozygote. In this case, the alleles C₁ and C₂ produce distinct flower colors when combined, leading to a variety of phenotypes. Understanding codominance is essential for predicting how these alleles will interact in the population after selection pressures are applied.

Natural Selection

Natural selection is the process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population based on their impact on survival and reproduction. In this example, the predation of yellow and orange flowers leads to differential survival of the flower genotypes, affecting their allele frequencies in subsequent generations. This concept is fundamental for predicting evolutionary changes in the population.