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Ch. 26 - Population and Evolutionary Genetics
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All textbooksKlug 12th EditionCh. 26 - Population and Evolutionary GeneticsProblem 17

Chapter 25, Problem 17

A recent study examining the mutation rates of 5669 mammalian genes (17,208 sequences) indicates that, contrary to popular belief, mutation rates among lineages with vastly different generation lengths and physiological attributes are remarkably constant [Kumar, S., and Subramanian, S. (2002). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99:803–808]. The average rate is estimated at 12.2×10⁻⁹ per bp per year. What is the significance of this finding in terms of mammalian evolution?

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Hi everyone welcome back. Here's our next question which of the following best defines a lilac frequency. When we look at our answer choices. Let's look through them here. The answer choice we're looking for is choice be the frequency at which two alleles are present in a population. So it's important remember we're not looking for how often a given phenotype occurs. So how many individuals in a population show a certain trait in their phenotype. But the frequency at which an alley all occurs in the population. So we calculate that by dividing the number of copies of a specific alley by the total number of alleles in the population, remembering of course that each individual will have in general two copies of every chromosome. So each individual would have two different alleles. So you'd have to take that into account. Let's look over other answer choices to see why they're not correct. Choice. Day says the frequency at which an individual's aliens change over time. The key that tells us this is not a correct answer is the word individual. Um That makes choice a knot or answer choice. We're not talking about what's going on an individual level and whether that's changing. We're looking at just the occurrence of specific alleles within a population choice. E says the frequency at which aliens are inherited from parents. Well this is also not an answer. Um Again, we're looking at what's going on in the whole population. The individuals that are there not how individuals are inheriting specific alleles from their parents. Although of course the frequency at which they inherit from the parents affects the frequency in the population. Joyce D. Says the frequency at which alleles appear in a specific genotype. You can, and this is not our answer because again, we're talking about the occurrence of alleles in an entire population, not just in a specific genotype. So which of the following best defines a low frequency choice be the frequency at which two alleles are present in a population in the next video.
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Textbook Question

One of the first Mendelian traits identified in humans was a dominant condition known as brachydactyly. This gene causes an abnormal shortening of the fingers or toes (or both). At the time, some researchers thought that the dominant trait would spread until 75 percent of the population would be affected (because the phenotypic ratio of dominant to recessive is 3 : 1). Show that the reasoning was incorrect.

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Textbook Question

Describe how populations with substantial genetic differences can form. What is the role of natural selection?

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Textbook Question

Achondroplasia is a dominant trait that causes a characteristic form of dwarfism. In a survey of 50,000 births, five infants with achondroplasia were identified. Three of the affected infants had affected parents, while two had normal parents. Calculate the mutation rate for achondroplasia and express the rate as the number of mutant genes per given number of gametes.

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Textbook Question

What are considered significant factors in maintaining the surprisingly high levels of genetic variation in natural populations?

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Textbook Question

A botanist studying water lilies in an isolated pond observed three leaf shapes in the population: round, arrowhead, and scalloped. Marker analysis of DNA from 125 individuals showed the round-leaf plants to be homozygous for allele r1, while the plants with arrowhead leaves were homozygous for a different allele at the same locus, r2. Plants with scalloped leaves showed DNA profiles with both the r1 and r2 alleles. Frequency of the r1 allele was estimated at 0.81. If the botanist counted 20 plants with scalloped leaves in the pond, what is the inbreeding coefficient F for this population?

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Textbook Question

A farmer plants transgenic Bt corn that is genetically modified to produce its own insecticide. Of the corn borer larvae feeding on these Bt crop plants, only 10 percent survive unless they have at least one copy of the dominant resistance allele B that confers resistance to the Bt insecticide. When the farmer first plants Bt corn, the frequency of the B resistance allele in the corn borer population is 0.02. What will be the frequency of the resistance allele after one generation of corn borers have fed on Bt corn?

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