Date: _______________________________

Calculating Allele Frequency

Definitions:
Allele frequency is a measure of the relative frequency of an allele in a population.
Microevolution is defined as the change in the frequency of alleles that occurs over generations.

For a particular allele N, its frequency in a population is calculated using the formula:

Example 1: Two alleles (brown, B and white, b) exist for mouse coat colour. In a population of mice whose
gene pool consists of 500 alleles, 301 of these alleles are brown. Calculate the allele frequencies for:
a. the brown allele ___________ b. the white allele ___________ [Ans: B = 0.60, b=0.40]

Calculating allele frequencies from genotypes

Example 2: In a different population of mice, 290 mice are homozygous BB, 425 are hybrid Bb, and 270
are homozygous bb. Calculate the allele frequencies:
B = ____________ b = ____________

Solution:
Genotypes 290 BB 425 Bb 270 bb

Alleles (2 290) B + 425 B = 1005 B 425 b + (2 270) b = 965 b

Total alleles = B + b = 1005 + 965 = 1970

B = 0.51 b = 0.49

Example 3: In centaurs, the allele for curly tails (T) is incompletely dominant to the allele for straight tails (t).
The hybrid genotype results in wavy tails. In a population of 1500 centaurs, 315 have curly tails, 820 have
wavy tails, and the remainder has straight tails.
a. How many total alleles are in this gene pool? ____________________________
b. Determine the allele frequencies of: T = ____________ t = ____________ [Ans: T = 0.48, t=0.52]
 The Hardy-Weinberg Model

The Hardy-Weinberg model describes, for a population, the relations hip between the occurrence of
genotypes and the frequency of alleles. Hardy and Weinberg independently concluded that allele
frequencies are inherently stable in populations, if certain assumptions are met. (See box)

Assumptions: The Hardy-Weinberg model was an important step to

1. Population size is infinitely large defining the mechanisms for evolution. Through
2. No mutation occurs recognizing that no population can ever meet these five
3. No migration occurs assumptions, it identified situations that would lead to
4. All members of the population breed, changes in allele frequency. Recall that these changes
and mating is random are the definition of macroevolution.
5. Natural selection does not occur
Description: For a character that has only two alleles
A population that meets these assumptions is (R and r), the frequency of all the dominant R and
said to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, recessive r alleles adds up to 1.0.
because allele frequencies do not change
from generation to generation.

The equation: (p + q ) 2 = p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1

Frequency of alleles Frequency of allele combinations (genotypes)
p = frequency of dominant allele A p2 = frequency of AA (homozygous dominant)
q = frequency of recessive allele a q2 = frequency of aa (homozygous recessive)
2pq = frequency of Aa (heterozygous)

To solve Hardy-Weinberg Problems follow these steps:

1. Examine the information to determine what piece of information you have been given about the
population.
2. Find out the value of p or q. If this is achieved, then every other value in the equation can be
determined by simple calculation.
3. Take the square root of q2 to find q.
4. Determine p by subtracting q from 1 (i.e. p= 1-q).
5. Determine p2 by multiplying p by itself (i.e. p2 = p x p)
6. Determine 2 pq by multiplying p times q times 2.
7. Check that your calculations are correct by adding up the values for p2 + q2 + 2pq = 1.

Practice Problem: In the American Caucasian population approximately 70% of people can taste the
chemical phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) (the dominant phenotype), while 30% are non-tasters (the recessive
phenotype). Determine the expected frequency of:
a) homozygous recessive phenotype (q2) _____________ If a populations genotype
_____________ distribution does not match
b) the recessive allele (q) those predicted by the H-W
c) the dominant allele (p) _____________ model, then at least one of
the assumptions of H-W
d) homozygous tasters (p2) _____________ equilibrium is being violated.
e) heterozygous tasters (2pq) _____________
Answer:
a) The recessive phenotype q2 = 30% or 0.30 d) Then use p and q in the Hardy-Weinberg equation to solve:
b) Therefore: q = 0.5477 (square root of 0.30) e) Homozygous dominant: p2 = 0.2046 (p x p = 0.4523 x 0.4523 )
c) Therefore: p = 0.4522 (1 q = p so 1- 0.5477 = 0.4523) f) Heterozygous: 2pq = 0.4953
Population Genetics Worksheet Name __________________________
1. In humans, attached ear lobes are caused by the inheritance of two recessive alleles. Free ear lobes are
the result of inheriting at least one dominant allele for free ear lobes. The frequency of the recessive
allele is 70% (0.7). What would the frequencies of the following be, assuming H-W equilibrium?
Alleles: R ________ r ___________
Genotypes: RR _______ rr ___________ Rr _________

Answer for #1:

R = 30%, r = 70% (you are given this), RR = 9%, rr = 49%, Rr = 42% ,

Solution: Let p = R and q = r q2 = rr p2 = RR 2pq = Rr

(0.7)(0.7) = 0.49 (0.3)(0.3) = 0.09 (2)(0.7)(0.3) = 0.42
p+ q=1
p = 1-q
p = 1 - 0.7 = 0.3

2. From question 1, how many people in a population of 7000 would carry the allele for free ear lobes?
_______________. [Ans 3570]

3. Suppose the allele frequencies for the autosomal gene for eye colour in females are B = 0.4 and b =
0.6, where B is brown and b is blue. Assuming H-W conditions, what would be the frequencies for:
[Ans (a) BB 0.16, Bb 0.48, bb 0.36; (b) same as (a); (c) brown 0.64, blue 0.36]

a) the genotypes of the population? BB = _____ Bb = _____ bb = _____

b) the genotypes of the fifth generation? BB = _____ Bb = _____ bb = _____
c) the phenotypes of the population? Brown = _____ Blue = _____

4. On an isolated Pacific Ocean Island, there exists a recessive allele for psychic ability which enabled the
lucky natives to complete witch doctor school. This recessive allele was found in the population of
2000 natives at a frequency of 10%.
a. How many witch doctors are there on the island? ___________
b. What proportion of the population would be hybrid? ___________
[Ans (a)20; (b) 0.18 or 18%]
5. If 18 out of 50 lizards sampled has the recessive phenotype for short tails (tt),
a. What would be the proportion of t alleles in the lizard population? _____________
b. What would be the allele frequency for the dominant allele? _____________
c. What percent of the population would be heterozygous? ______________
[Ans (a)0.6; (b) 0.4; (c) 0.48]

6. Assume that in sheep, white wool colour is dominant to black wool colour. If 25% of the sheep in a
large population have black wool, calculate:
a. the allele frequencies of the two types of wool colour. __________________________
b. the expected proportion of homozygous white sheep. ____________
c. the expected proportion of hybrid sheep. ____________
d. the expected number of white sheep in a population of 750? ____________
[Ans (a )p=q=0.5; (b)0.25; (c) 0.5; (d) 562.5]

7. A population of 64 individuals is tested for their genotype at a particular locus, R. The observed
frequencies are as follows:
RR = 37 Rr = 20 rr = 7
a. Determine the allele frequencies for R and r. R _________ r _________
b. Use the Hardy-Weinberg equation to determine the expected genotypic proportions.
RR _________ Rr _________ rr _________
c. Use the proportions above to determine the expected frequencies in the population of 64.
RR _________ Rr _________ rr _________
d. Use a chi square test to determine whether the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (if
the genotypes occur in the expected frequencies). Use a significance level of 0.05.
[Ans (a ) R =p=0.73, r=q=0.27; (b)RR 0.533, Rr 0.394, rr 0.073; (c) RR 34.1, Rr 25.2, rr 4.7; (d)X2 = 2.443; yes it is]
 Hardy-Weinberg Calculations

1. You have sampled a population in which you know that the percentage of the homozygous
recessive genotype (aa) is 36%. Using that 36%, calculate the following:
A. The frequency of the "aa" genotype.
B. The frequency of the "a" allele.
C. The frequency of the "A" allele.
D. The frequencies of the genotypes "AA" and "Aa."
E. The frequencies of the two possible phenotypes if "A" is completely dominant over "a."

2. If 9% of an African population is born with a severe form of sickle-cell anemia (ss), what percentage
of the population will be more resistant to malaria because they are heterozygous (Ss) for the
sickle-cell gene? Assume Hardy-Weinberg conditions.

3. Within a population of butterflies, the colour brown (B) is dominant over the colour white (b). If 81%
of all butterflies are white, calculate the following:
A. The percentage of butterflies in the population that are heterozygous.
B. The frequency of homozygous dominant individuals.

4. A rather large population of squirrels have 250 red-sided individuals and 750 tan-sided individuals.
Assume that red is totally recessive. Please calculate the following:
A. The allele frequencies of each allele.
B. The expected genotype frequencies.
C. Conditions happen to be really good this year for breeding and next year there are 1,400 young
squirrels. Assuming that all of the Hardy-Weinberg conditions are met, how many of these
would you expect to be red-sided and how many tan-sided?

5. A very large population of randomly-mating laboratory mice contains 49% white mice. White
colouring is caused by the double recessive genotype, "aa". Calculate allelic and genotypic
frequencies for this population.

6. After graduation, you and 19 of your closest friends (total 10 males and 10 females) charter a
plane to go on a round-the-world tour. Unfortunately, you all crash land (safely) on a deserted
island. No one finds you and you start a new population totally isolated from the rest of the world.
Two of your friends are heterozygous for the Huntington allele. Assuming that the frequency of this
allele does not change as the population grows to 100,000, how many individuals will be likely to
have Huntington's Disease on your island?

7. The ability to taste PTC is due to a single dominant allele "T". You sampled 215 individuals and
determined that 138 could detect the bitter taste of PTC and 77 could not. Calculate the following
for this population:
A. The allele frequencies of each allele. (round to the nearest tenth)
B. The expected genotype frequencies.

8. In a population of fish, the colour red is incompletely dominant to white. Heterozygotes are pink. A
sample of 375 fish is observed and the following frequencies are noted: 39 red fish, 154 pink, and
182 white.
A. Calculate the allele frequencies of the red (R) and white (r) alleles.
B. Use a chi square test to determine whether the population of fish is in Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium.

9. In cats, friendliness is determined by a dominant gene F. The recessive genotype produces an

unfriendly cat. The genotypes of several cats are determined to be: 40 FF, 34 Ff, and 1 ff. Is this
population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?