In the Hardy-Weinberg equation, p² represents __________.

• A. the total alleles in the gene pool
• B. the frequency of heterozygous individuals in the population
• C. the frequency of homozygous recessive individuals in the population
• D. the frequency of dominant alleles in the population
• E. the expected frequency of homozygous dominant individuals in the population

Answer: (E)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the Hardy-Weinberg principle, which provides a mathematical model to study genetic variation in a population under certain conditions. It assumes no mutation, migration, selection, genetic drift, and random mating.
2. The Hardy-Weinberg equation is expressed as: $p^2\; +\; 2pq\; +\; q^2\; =\; 1$, where $p$ and $q$ represent the frequencies of two alleles in the population.
3. Identify what each term in the equation represents: $p^2$ is the frequency of homozygous dominant individuals, $2pq$ is the frequency of heterozygous individuals, and $q^2$ is the frequency of homozygous recessive individuals.
4. Recognize that $p^2$ specifically represents the expected frequency of homozygous dominant individuals in the population, which is the correct answer to the problem.
5. To apply this understanding, calculate $p^2$ by squaring the frequency of the dominant allele $p$ if given allele frequencies in a specific problem scenario.