Question

Mutations are the ultimate source of genetic variation. However, they usually occur at very low frequency. Assume a mutation resulting in a novel allele occurs in a gene of one individual in a population of 500 diploid individuals. The allele does not affect the fitness of the individual carrying the mutation. How long will it take for the allele to reach a frequency of 0.5 in the population? A. It cannot reach a frequency of 0.5. It will eventually reach a frequency of 0.33 because the mutation means that there are three alleles at this locus in the population. B. It could eventually reach a frequency of 0.5 or be fixed or lost from the population, but that will be a random effect based on the population and its size. C. It can only reach a frequency of 0.5 if it somehow confers a selective advantage on the individual with the mutation. D. It will eventually reach a frequency of 0.5, but a frequency of 0.5 will depend on the generation time for the individuals in the population.

Answer 1

SOLUTION

Mutation is the permanent alteration in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene

Mutant frequency is calculated by simply dividing the no. of mutants present and the total number of cells in the population

This value is independent of time hence of all the options , option (B) is the correct option as it is a random effect based on the population and its size