If a randomly-mating population has an established frequency of 64% for the organisms homozygous dominant for a given trait, what is the frequency of this dominant allele in the gene pool?
A. .2
B. .24
C. .36
D. .8
E. .64
I think the answer is D. .8
To find the frequency of the dominant allele in the gene pool, we can use the Hardy-Weinberg equation. The equation is p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1, where p represents the frequency of the dominant allele and q represents the frequency of the recessive allele.
In this case, we are given that the frequency of the homozygous dominant individuals (p^2) is 64%. Therefore, p^2 = 0.64.
To find the frequency of the dominant allele (p), we need to take the square root of 0.64: p = √0.64 = 0.8.
So, the frequency of the dominant allele in the gene pool is 0.8, which corresponds to option D. .8.