Biology > Lab Report > Ohio State UniversityBIOLOGY UHardy-Weinberg_Equilibrium_and_the_Eastern_Gray_Squirrel (2). (All)

Ohio State UniversityBIOLOGY UHardy-Weinberg_Equilibrium_and_the_Eastern_Gray_Squirrel (2).

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Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and the Eastern Gray Squirrel If you live in an urban or suburban area of North America, you are probably familiar with the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis�... ��). The black squirrel is a melanistic subgroup of this species. This black variant can be born to gray parents and is the result of a mutation that causes more melanin to be concentrated in their hairs. Offspring born from these mutants are more likely to inherit the trait because it is a dominant allele. Recall that evolution is a change in the frequency of alleles within a population over time. If you were to go to some areas of North America, you might observe that there were more black squirrels than you would find in other areas. Is this evidence that the squirrels are evolving? 1. What questions would you ask regarding the squirrels in these areas? What additional information would you want to know? To determine if evolution has occurred, biologists compare the allele frequencies in a population. If no evolution has occurred, then the alleles for each type of fur would occur in the same frequency. 50% would have the B allele and 50% would have the b allele. Problem, each individual contains two alleles for a trait, so we must use math to determine the allele frequencies. The Hardy-Weinberg Equation is used to determine the allele frequencies and whether those frequencies have remained constant. In any case, where the allele frequencies have changed, then evolution has occurred. Hardy-Weinberg Equations p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1 p + q = 1 p = frequency of the dominant allele in the population q = frequency of the recessive allele in the population p2 = homozygous dominant individuals q2 = homozygous recessive individuals 2pq = heterozygous individuals [Show More]

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