Much of the simple mathematical theory about natural selection ignores mutation.
ID: 53971 • Letter: M
Question
Much of the simple mathematical theory about natural selection ignores mutation. There is, however, a simple equilibrium for the frequency of a deleterious recessive allele experiencing mutation (Thanks to J.B.S. Haldane). Consider a population in which you observe that 25% of the individuals have the recessive trait. You also know that the fitness disadvantage of the recessive allele is 0.005. Assume that this population is at mutation-selection equilibrium. What is the deleterious mutation rate? Furthermore, using your knowledge of experimental design, describe an experiment in which you want to estimate the deleterious mutation rate. A full answer should include an experimental organism and a method of estimating the quantities needed to estimate the mutation rate. Hint: Note that there are two parts to this question.
Explanation / Answer
Based on the given data, Designated frequency of mutant allele (a) = q
Frequency of mutant homozygote = q2 = (0.25)2 = 6.25×10-2
S = 0.005
According to the H-W equilibrium,
Thus, the deleterious mutation rate
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