Under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, allele and genotype frequencies remain constant across generations. Which are the five assumptions?

Under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, allele and genotype frequencies remain constant across generations. Which are the five assumptions?

• A. Very large population, random mating, no mutation, no migration, no natural selection
• B. Small population, nonrandom mating, mutation, migration, natural selection
• C. Random drift, gene flow, mutation, selection
• D. Equal allele frequencies, equal mating, mutation, migration

Answer: (A)

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium describes a population where allele and genotype frequencies stay the same from generation to generation, and that stability only happens if five conditions are met: the population is very large to prevent genetic drift, mating occurs at random with respect to the gene, there are no new alleles arising by mutation and no alleles lost through mutation, there is no movement of individuals into or out of the population (no gene flow), and natural selection does not favor any allele, so all genotypes have equal reproductive success. When these hold, allele frequencies p and q remain constant and genotype frequencies are p^2, 2pq, and q^2. The option that lists a very large population, random mating, no mutation, no migration, and no natural selection matches these requirements. The other options include factors like small population size, nonrandom mating, drift, gene flow, or selection, which would disrupt equilibrium and cause allele frequencies to change over time.

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium describes a population where allele and genotype frequencies stay the same from generation to generation, and that stability only happens if five conditions are met: the population is very large to prevent genetic drift, mating occurs at random with respect to the gene, there are no new alleles arising by mutation and no alleles lost through mutation, there is no movement of individuals into or out of the population (no gene flow), and natural selection does not favor any allele, so all genotypes have equal reproductive success. When these hold, allele frequencies p and q remain constant and genotype frequencies are p^2, 2pq, and q^2.

The option that lists a very large population, random mating, no mutation, no migration, and no natural selection matches these requirements. The other options include factors like small population size, nonrandom mating, drift, gene flow, or selection, which would disrupt equilibrium and cause allele frequencies to change over time.