BIOLOGY 140 LECTURE

3rd Departmental Examination (Quantitative Genetics and Population Genetics)

Sample Problems and Answers by MCA Bordallo

1. A cross between two varieties of corn with average heights of 48 and 72 inches produced F1 plants with an average
height of 60 inches. An F1 X F1 cross resulted to 500 plants: 2 are as short as 48 inches, 2 as tall as 72 inches, and
others have heights varying between these extremes.

A) How many gene pairs are involved in the determination of height of the plants?
B) How much (in inches) does each additive allele contribute to the height of the plant?
C) Give the distribution of heights (phenotypes in inches and proportions) expected in the F2.
D) What genotypes in the F2 will show a height of 60 inches? List at least 2.

ANS: A) n=4 B) 3 inches

C) See table below D) Examples: AABBccdd, AaBBCcdd
1/256 48 in
8/256 51 in
28/256 54 in
56/256 57 in
70/256 60 in
56/256 63 in
28/256 66 in
8/256 69 in
1/256 72 in

2. The mean internode length of the Abed Binder variety of barley was found to be 3.20mm. The mean length in the
Asplund variety was 2.10 mm. Crossing these two varieties produced an F 1 and F2 with average internode lengths of 2.65
mm. About 6% of the F2 had an internode length of 3.2 mm, and another 6% had a length of 2.1 mm.

A) Determine the most probable number of gene pairs involved in internode length.
B) How much (in mm) is the approximate contribution of each gene to the phenotype?
C) What are the phenotypes and the probability of each phenotype in the F2?

ANS: With one pair of genes we expect about 1/4 or 25% of the F 2 to be as extreme as one of the parents. With two pairs of genes we
expect approximately 1/16 or 6.25% as extreme as one parent. Thus, we may postulate two pairs of genes. Let A and B represent
growth factors and a and b represent null genes. The difference 2:65 2.10 = 0.55mm is the result of two growth genes. Therefore,
each growth gene contributes 0.275 mm to the phenotype.

3. The following numbers represent the weight (in pounds) of a random sample of male college students:
155, 126, 188, 166, 155, 160, 145, 170, 166, 140
Calculate the mean weight, the phenotypic variance and the standard deviation for this sample.

ANS: Mean = 157.1 Vp = 300.32 s= 17.33

4. Two pure lines of beans that produce seeds with different weights were crossed. The weights and variances of seeds
from the parental, F1, and F2 plants are:
Mean Weight
Vp
(cg)
P1 45.9 1.7
P2 50.2 2.1
F1 48.1 2.0
F2 48.0 4.1

A) What is Ve for this trait?

B) What is Vg for the F2 population?

ANS: Ve = (1.7 + 2.1 + 2.0) / 3 = 1.9

Vg = 4.1 1.9 = 2.2
 5. Two homozygous strains of tobacco that differ in the number of leaves per plant were crossed. The mean number of
leaves were:
P1 = 15.0, Vp = 1.40
P2 = 17.5, Vp = 1.25
The number of leaves in the F1 and F2 are:
F1 = 18, 15,16, 18, 15, 16, 14, 16, 18, 17, 16, 13, 16, 14, 16, 15, 16, 15, 15, 16, 15, 16, 16, 15, 16
F2 = 16, 20, 19, 17, 14, 16, 14, 14, 15, 17, 20, 13, 12, 15, 16, 21, 18, 15, 14, 18, 14, 17, 13, 15, 13
Given that these plants were raised in the same environment and that the interaction variance is 0,
calculate the environmental variance (V e) and the genotypic variance (Vg).

ANS: Ve = 1.30 Vp = VF2 = 5.98 Vg = Vp Ve = 4.68

6. Given are the variances for the Offspring from a Series of Crosses Between Two Drosophila strains that vary in length of
time to complete development. Calculate Va and Vd
Phenotypic
Variance
P1 23
P2 28
F1 21
B1 56
B2 50
F2 76

ANS:
Va = 2 [76 (56 + 50)/2]
= 46
V d = V g Va
Vg = [VF2 (VP1 + VP2 + F1)/3]
= 76 (23 + 28 + 21)/3 = 52
Vd = 52 46 = 6

7. The F1 plants from problem 5 were backcrossed and the progeny were:
B1 = 18, 17, 20, 15, 17, 17, 11, 13, 16, 19, 17, 12, 16, 16, 16, 16, 17, 17, 14, 16, 17
B2 = 17, 16, 15, 13, 14, 19, 17, 21, 17, 18, 18, 20, 20, 17, 18, 19, 18, 16, 18, 15, 18
Calculate the additive genetic variance and the dominant genetic variance.

ANS: Va = 2[5.98 (4.54 + 4.03)/2] = 3.39

Vd = 4.68 3.39 = 1.26

8. Given:
64 dark green frogs with genotype GG
32 medium green frogs with genotype Gg
4 light green frogs with genotype gg
Calculate:
Allele frequencies of g and G
Genotype frequencies of GG, Gg and gg

ANS: g= 32 + 2 (4) = 40/200 = 0.2 or 20% 0.2 + 0.8 = 1

2(64) + 2 (32) + 2(4)

G= 2(64) + 32 = 160/200 = 0.8 or 80%

2(64) + 2 (32) + 2(4)

GG = 64 = 64/100 = 0.64 = 64%

64 + 32 + 4
Gg = 32 = 32 /100 = 0.32 = 32 % 0.64 + 0.32 + 0.04 = 1
64 + 32 + 4
gg = 4 = 4/100 = 0.04 = 4%
64 + 32 + 4
 9. Given: 168 MM
30 MN
2 NN
Is the population in genetic equilibrium?

ANS:
Freq of M = 2(168) + 30 = 0.915
400
Freq of N = 2(2) + 30 = 0.085
400
Expected genotype frequencies:
MM = p2 = (0.915)2 = 0.837
MN = 2 pq = 2 (0.915) ( 0.085) = 0.156
NN = q2 = (0.085)2 = 0.007

Expected number of Given:

individuals:
MM = 0.837 X 200 = 167 168 MM
MN = 0.156 X 200 = 31 30 MN
NN = 0.007 X 200 = 1 2 NN

Perform 2 test
GENOTYPE O E (O-E)2/E

MM 168 167 .005988

MN 30 31 .032258
NN 2 1 1
2 = 1.04

P value > 0.05 Population is in equilibrium.

10. CF is a recessive genetic disease.

Freq of affected individuals = 1/2500
What is the freq of heterozygous carriers?

ANS: Homozygous recessives = q2 = 1/2500 = 0.0004

q = 0.0004 = 0.02
p = 1 0.02 = 0.98
Heterozygotes = 2pq = 2 (0.98)(0.02) = 0.392 = 3.92%

11. The phenotypic frequency of people who cannot taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) us 0.3. The inability to taste PTC is due
to a recessive allele. Assuming there are only two alleles in the population (T=taster, t=nontaster) and that the
population is in H_W equilibrium, calculate the frequencies of these two alleles.

ANS: t = q = 0.55 T = p = 0.45

12.
Population MM MN NN
(%) (%) (%)
Inuit 83.5 15.6 0.9
Indians 84.5 14.4 1.1
Finns 45.7 43.1 11.2
Russians 39.9 44.0 16.1
Aborigines 2.4 30.4 67.2

Calculate allele frequencies in the five populations

Which populations appear to be in H-W equilibrium?

ANS:
Population M N Equilibrium?
Inuit 0.913 0.087 Yes
Indians 0.917 0.083 Yes
Finns 0.673 0.327 Yes
Russians 0.619 0.381 Yes
Aborigines 0.176 0.824 Yes
13. Allele frequencies in a Japanese population:
A = 0.28
B = 0.17
O = 0.55
Calculate frequencies of blood types A, B, AB and O

ANS: Type A = 0.39

Type B = 0.22
Type AB = 0.09
Type O = 0.30

14. Given: Type A = 37.8%

Type B = 14.0%
Type AB = 4.5%
Type O = 43.7%
Calculate freq of alleles A, B and O in the population.

ANS: A = 0.242
B = 0.099
O= 0.661

15. Given the no. of individuals with the following blood types:
Type O = 721
Type A = 932
Type B = 235
Type AB = 112

Is the population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

ANS:
Expected Numbers Observed Numbers
Type O 720 721
Type A 192 + 744 = 936 932
Type B 16 + 216 = 232 235
Type AB 111 112
The observed and expected values agree quite well. Therefore, it does appear that this population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.