1. What is Allele Frequency?

Allele frequency is a measure of the relative frequency of an allele at a particular locus in a population. It shows what proportion of gene copies in a population are of a particular allele type.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the allele frequency equation:

Where:

• \( AA \) — Number of homozygous dominant individuals
• \( Aa \) — Number of heterozygous individuals
• \( N \) — Total number of individuals in population

Explanation: The equation accounts for both copies of the allele in homozygous individuals and one copy in heterozygous individuals.

3. Importance of Allele Frequency Calculation

Details: Calculating allele frequencies is fundamental in population genetics, helping to understand genetic variation, evolutionary processes, and disease prevalence in populations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter counts of homozygous dominant and heterozygous individuals, plus total population size. All values must be non-negative integers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does an allele frequency of 0.5 mean?
A: It means that 50% of all alleles at that locus in the population are of this specific type.

Q2: How is this different from genotype frequency?
A: Genotype frequency refers to the proportion of individuals with a specific genotype, while allele frequency refers to how common an allele is in the gene pool.

Q3: What assumptions does this calculation make?
A: It assumes random mating, no selection, no mutation, no migration, and large population size (Hardy-Weinberg assumptions).

Q4: Can allele frequency be greater than 1?
A: No, allele frequencies range from 0 to 1, representing the proportion of that allele in the population.

Q5: Why is the 5th generation significant?
A: In lab settings, tracking allele frequencies over generations helps study evolutionary processes and genetic drift in controlled populations.