Question

question 17 of 25
which sentence is true about the allele frequencies in a population?
a. they never add up to 100%.
b. they always add up to 100%.
c. they can be determined by multiplying the total number of alleles by 100.
d. they can be found by dividing the total number of alleles in the population by 100.
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Explanation:

Allele frequencies represent the proportion of each allele in a population. By definition, the sum of all allele frequencies for a particular gene locus in a population must equal 1 (or 100% when expressed as a percentage). For example, if there are two alleles \(A\) and \(a\) at a locus, \(p + q=1\) where \(p\) is the frequency of allele \(A\) and \(q\) is the frequency of allele \(a\). Option A is incorrect as they do add to 100% (or 1). Option C is wrong because allele frequency is the proportion of an allele, not total alleles multiplied by 100. Option D is incorrect as allele frequency is calculated as (number of a particular allele)/(total number of alleles at that locus), not total alleles divided by 100.

Answer:

B. They always add up to 100%.