In a large population of randomly reproducing rabbits,a recessive allele r comprises 80% of the alleles for a gene,while a dominant allele R comprises the remaining 20%.What percentage of the rabbits would you expect to have the recessive phenotype?
A)4%
B)32%
C)64%
D)80%
E)none

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the recessive allele comprises 80% of the alleles, we can use the Hardy-Weinberg equation to calculate the expected proportion of rabbits with the recessive phenotype. The equation is:
p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1
where p is the frequency of the dominant allele and q is the frequency of the recessive allele. We know that q = 0.8 and p = 0.2, so:
(0.8)^2 + 2(0.2)(0.8) + (0.2)^2 = 0.04 + 0.32 + 0.04 = 0.4
So, 40% of the rabbits would be expected to have the recessive phenotype, which is equivalent to 64% (100% - 40%) having the dominant phenotype. Therefore, the correct answer is C.

In a Large Population of Randomly Reproducing Rabbits,a Recessive Allele