Q44 - Haldane's Estimate of the Human Mutation Rate

Theoretical 2 Real exam question - full text reproduced under IBO's CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

The lack of advanced molecular biology methods, such as DNA sequencing or site-directed mutagenesis, did not stop the pioneers of evolution from asking difficult questions concerning the fundamental aspects of biological systems. J. B. S. Haldane attempt to calculate the mutation rate in 1930s is an illuminating example. With no direct genetic evidence, he focused on men living in London and hemophilia A, an X-linked recessive disorder. Assuming that men with this disorder do not reproduce, his calculations show that the mutation rate is three times the frequency of men with this disorder in London. His estimate of mutation per generation per locus is not that different from the more recent estimates for many genes.

Using the information and data, determine which of the statements are true or which are false.

A. The purported relationship between mutation rate and frequency of that mutation is only limited to populations that have reached mutation selection equilibrium.

B. For a recessive autosomal disorder that results in sterility, one would expect mutation rate to be equal to six times the frequency of that disorder in a population.

C. The model assumes there is no drift.

D. Linkage between a beneficial allele and hemophilia would have inflated Haldane's estimate of mutation rate for hemophilia.

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Question reproduced from IBO 2018, Theoretical Paper 2, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF · Community solutions (unofficial)