Individuals who inherit sickle cell disease,a recessive disorder,tend to die at an early age while individuals who are homozygous for their blood cells survive.How does the recessive allele persist in the population?
A) New individuals who are recessive for sickle cell will migrate into the area.
B) Spontaneous mutations will occur on Homozygous individuals that causes them to develop a recessive allele.
C) The recessive allele will not persist within the population. It is always weeded out.
D) Each generation some individuals will be born that by chance will inherit the recessive allele.
E) Individuals who are heterozygous for the sickle cell trait have an advantage in certain environments.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Individuals who are heterozygous for the sickle cell trait have an advantage in certain environments. In areas where malaria is common, individuals with one copy of the sickle cell allele have a higher chance of surviving malaria infections. This results in the spread and persistence of the recessive allele in the population. This phenomenon is called heterozygote advantage or balanced polymorphism.

Individuals Who Inherit Sickle Cell Disease,a Recessive Disorder,tend to Die