Critical Thinking Activities - Chapter 19

Question 1. Most organisms have a surprising amount of genetic diversity, or potential for variation, within their gene pool. Only some of them are best adapted for the exact environmental conditions in your local area this year. Why does the population possess all this genetic variation?

Question 2. Consider the proposal that left-handedness is inherited as a recessive gene (rr) and right-handedness is dominant (RR, Rr). If 16% of this class is left-handed, what proportion of the right-handed students are likely to be carriers of a left-handedness gene and what is the frequency of the hypothetical left-handed gene?

Answers are available to instructors in the Instructor's Manual.
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