Problem:
Question 1: A zoologist is investigating a population of squirrels whose coat color is controlled by a single gene whose two alleles (B1 & B2) are codominant. B1B1 individuals are black, B1B2 individuals are brown, and B2B2 are tan. She surveys the population and finds 126 black squirrels, 238 brown squirrels, and 49 tan squirrels. Is this population in HWE? If not, what might explain this pattern?
Question 2: In wild petunias, the allele for red flower color (R) is dominant over the allele for white flower color (r). We sample a population and find 240 plants have white flowers and 85 have red flowers. If the population is in HWE, what are the allele frequencies of R and r in this population? How many of the 85 plants that have red flowers are homozygous and how many are heterozygous at the flower color locus?
Question 3: Phenylketonuria is a severe form of mental retardation caused by a recessive allele. Assume that the condition affects about 3 in 25,000 newborn babies. In a population of 450,000 people, how many are expected to be heterozygote 'carriers' for this disease?
Please provide best answers.