Question

wfg is a disease in humans caused by a dominant allele. the life expectancy of people with wfg is usually short. what will most likely happen to the frequency of this allele in the population? the frequency of the allele would -

stay the same because dominant alleles are always expressed in the population

increase because the gene is dominant

decrease because affected people would not survive to pass it on to offspring

fluctuate since the gene has nothing to do with survival

Explanation:

To determine the allele frequency change, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Dominant alleles aren't always expressed in a way that keeps frequency constant, especially with reduced survival.
• Option 2: A dominant allele causing short life expectancy won't increase as affected individuals struggle to reproduce.
• Option 3: If people with the allele (due to short life expectancy) don't survive to pass it on, the allele's frequency in the population will decrease over time.
• Option 4: The gene affects survival (short life expectancy), so it's not irrelevant to survival.

Answer:

C. decrease because affected people would not survive to pass it on to offspring