Question

The Hardy-Weinberg equation was designed to show the conditions that must be met in order for no change to be seen in a population.

Describe the 5 criteria that need to be in place in order to meet the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrum.

How are these criteria not met in nature?

If all 5 criteria are met does evolution occur?

Answer 1

5 criteria that need to be in place in order to meet the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrum:

Very large breeding population: it means that HWL applies only to large populations and not to smaller population. Random mating : it means that mating between male and female should be random. No migration: it means there should be no immigration or emigration of individuals into or out of population, respectively. No mutation: no mutation should take place which can change allelic frequencies. No natural selection pressure: it means that there should be infinite supply of resources for survival, mating, and other needs.

These are never met in nature because not always population are large, for eg. on isolated islands.

Next, migration is a natural cyclic phenomenon. Mutation keep on happening in individuals. And most importantly, resources are limited in nature.So there is always a natural selection pressure.

• If all 5 criteria are met, then evolution does not occur as allele frequencies remain unchanged.