One of the deadliest animals on earth is the rough skinned newt. It produces highly toxic skin toxins. In the 1970s, three hunters were found dead while camping in Western Oregon when they accidentally boiled a rough skinned newt in their coffee pot. Scientists discovered that they were becoming more toxic due to a common predator: the garter snake. As garter snakes were growing more immune to their toxins, rough skinned newts were growing more toxic in what is known as an “evolutionary arms race”. Though the genes for the garter snake immunity are most likely polygenic, however, let us assume that the immunity is caused by a single dominant allele for this exercise. Those without the dominant gene (the recessive genotype), are NOT immune to the toxins of the rough skinned newt.

In 1975, in a population of 88 garter snakes on the coast of Oregon, 54 of them exhibit the recessive genotype are therefore not immune to the rough skinned newt’s toxin.

What is the frequency for the recessive genotype (q^2)?

Solve for q:

Solve for p:

How many snakes are heterozygous?

How many snakes are homoozygous dominant?