Question

assuming that only selection is operating on a single locus, which of the following are necessary to calculate the allele frequencies in the next generation?

a. the starting allele frequencies

b. the average fitness of the population

c. the average excess for fitness of the alleles

Answer 1

The correct answer is option a - the starting allele frequencies.

If the selection is operating on a single locus, then the allele frquencies will be high in the next generations if selection act positively on that locus. On the other hand, if selection acts negatively on that locus, allele frequencies will diminish though time.

So for calculating allele frequencies , previous data on allele frequencies is necessary for demonstrating the effect of natural selection on the alleles.