A 9-bp deletion in the mitochondrial genome between the gene for cytochrome oxidase subunit II and the gene for tRNAᴸʸˢ is a common polymorphism among Polynesians and also in a population of Taiwanese natives. The frequency of the polymorphism varies between populations: The highest frequency is seen in the Maoris of New Zealand (98%), lower levels are seen in eastern Polynesia (80%) and western Polynesia (89%), and the lowest level is seen in the Taiwanese population. What do these frequencies tell us about the settlement of the Pacific by the ancestors of the present-day Polynesians?

The figure illustrates the effect of an ethanol-rich and an ethanol-free environment on the frequency of the Drosophila Adh^F allele in four populations in a 50-generation laboratory experiment. Population 1 and population 2 were reared for 50 generations in a high-ethanol environment, while control 1 and control 2 populations were reared for 50 generations in a zero-ethanol environment. Describe the effect of each environment on the populations, and state any conclusions you can reach about the role of any of the evolutionary processes in producing these effects.

In Island Melanesia and Polynesia, most mtDNA haplotypes are of Asian ancestry, whereas Y chromosome haplotypes are predominantly New Guinean. Provide a hypothesis for this sex-biased distribution.

When the human genome is examined, the chromosomes appear to have undergone only minimal rearrangement in the 100 million years since the last common ancestor of eutherian mammals. However, when individual humans are examined or when the human genome is compared with that of chimpanzees, a large number of small indels and SNPs can be detected. How are these observations reconciled?

Look over the 10 diseases approved for genetic health risk assessment listed in Application Chapter B. Select one disease other than the three discussed in Application Chapter B or in this chapter (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, late-onset Alzheimer disease, and celiac disease) or another of the diseases of your choice. Do a brief Internet search to find and download (1) one article for a nonscientific audience identifying the gene or genes whose alleles are associated with occurrence of the disease and (2) one scientific paper that provides data supporting the association of specific alleles of the gene or genes with the disease. Write a short summary combining the information contained in the two papers.

Two populations of deer, one of them large and living in a mainland forest and the other small and inhabiting a forest on an island, regularly exchange members that migrate across a land bridge that connects the island to the mainland. If you compared the allele frequencies in the two populations, what would you expect to find?