Question
A mutation in the hemoglobin gene causes sickle-cell hemoglobin. People with sickle-cell hemoglobin are immune to malaria. If a population is exposed to malaria, how will the frequency of the mutated sickle-cell hemoglobin change?
A
The frequency will increase because people with the sickle-cell hemoglobin will not die from malaria.
B
The frequency will decrease because all mutations are harmful, thus people with the mutation will die.
C
The frequency will decrease because people with the sickle-cell hemoglobin will die because the protein no longer works.
D
The frequency will not change because people get one copy of each gene from mom and one from dad, thus the mutation will not have an affect.
A
The frequency will increase because people with the sickle-cell hemoglobin will not die from malaria.
B
The frequency will decrease because all mutations are harmful, thus people with the mutation will die.
C
The frequency will decrease because people with the sickle-cell hemoglobin will die because the protein no longer works.
D
The frequency will not change because people get one copy of each gene from mom and one from dad, thus the mutation will not have an affect.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The most accurate answer is:
**A** The frequency will increase because people with the sickle-cell hemoglobin will not die from malaria.
This is due to the phenomenon of natural selection. In areas where malaria is prevalent, individuals with sickle-cell hemoglobin (often those who are heterozygous carriers with one normal hemoglobin gene and one sickle-cell gene) have a selective advantage because they are more resistant to malaria. As a result, the frequency of the sickle-cell mutation is likely to increase in the population over time due to this selective pressure.
**A** The frequency will increase because people with the sickle-cell hemoglobin will not die from malaria.
This is due to the phenomenon of natural selection. In areas where malaria is prevalent, individuals with sickle-cell hemoglobin (often those who are heterozygous carriers with one normal hemoglobin gene and one sickle-cell gene) have a selective advantage because they are more resistant to malaria. As a result, the frequency of the sickle-cell mutation is likely to increase in the population over time due to this selective pressure.