Question

question 4 of 10
a species of fly has two alleles for the length of their legs. the allele for long legs is dominant, and is represented by p. the allele for short legs is recessive, and is represented by q. if 33 of 100 organisms have short legs, what is p?
$p^{2}+2 p q+q^{2}=1$
a. 0.89
b. 0.57
c. 0.43
d. 0.11

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate \( q^{2} \)

Since 33 out of 100 organisms have short legs (recessive trait), \( q^{2}=\frac{33}{100} = 0.33 \)

Step2: Find \( q \)

Take the square - root of \( q^{2} \), \( q=\sqrt{0.33}\approx0.57 \)

Step3: Use \( p + q=1 \)

Substitute \( q\approx0.57 \) into \( p + q = 1 \), then \( p=1 - q \). So \( p=1 - 0.57=0.43 \)

Answer:

C. 0.43