What does at does p represent? p^2 frequency of homozygous recessive individuals frequency of heterozygous individuals frequency of homozygous dominant individuals

In the context of population genetics, the variable \( p \) typically represents the frequency of the dominant allele in a population. When discussing allele frequencies, \( p^2 \) would represent the frequency of homozygous dominant individuals (those with two copies of the dominant allele).<br /><br />So, to clarify:<br /><br />- \( p \) represents the frequency of the dominant allele.<br />- \( p^2 \) represents the frequency of homozygous dominant individuals.<br /><br />The other terms are defined as follows:<br />- Frequency of homozygous recessive individuals: \( q^2 \), where \( q \) is the frequency of the recessive allele.<br />- Frequency of heterozygous individuals: \( 2pq \), where \( p \) and \( q \) are the frequencies of the dominant and recessive alleles, respectively.<br /><br />These relationships are derived from the Hardy-Weinberg principle, which provides a baseline for understanding genetic variation in populations under certain conditions.