Albinism, an autosomal recessive trait characterized by an absence of skin pigmentation, is found in 1 in 4000 people in populations at equilibrium. Brachydactyly, an autosomal dominant trait producing shortened fingers and toes, is found in 1 in 6000 people in populations at equilibrium. For each of these traits, calculate the frequency of For albinism only, what is the frequency of mating between heterozygotes?

Key Concepts

Autosomal Recessive Inheritance

Autosomal recessive inheritance refers to a pattern where two copies of a mutated gene (one from each parent) are necessary for an individual to express a trait. In the case of albinism, individuals with the genotype 'aa' exhibit the condition, while 'AA' and 'Aa' individuals do not. This concept is crucial for understanding how traits like albinism are passed through generations and how to calculate carrier frequencies.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a principle that describes the genetic variation in a population that is not evolving. It provides a mathematical framework to calculate allele and genotype frequencies under certain conditions. For traits like albinism and brachydactyly, this principle allows us to estimate the frequency of alleles in a population, which is essential for determining the mating frequencies among heterozygotes.

Heterozygote Frequency Calculation

Heterozygote frequency calculation involves determining the proportion of individuals in a population that carry one dominant and one recessive allele for a trait. For albinism, if 'q' represents the frequency of the recessive allele, the frequency of heterozygotes (carriers) can be calculated using the formula 2pq, where 'p' is the frequency of the dominant allele. This calculation is vital for understanding the likelihood of mating between carriers in the context of autosomal recessive traits.