Question

(a)List and describe two different reasons why the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium is useful. (Determining genotype
frequencies is not a reason. These are just calculations.) (b)List and describe two different
scenarios (situations) is which the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium is not useful.

Answer 1

a.1. It is capable of describing mathematically the genetic product of a population in all individuals have equal chance of survival and to produce surviving offspring.

2. It enables to compare a population’s actual genetic structure over tim with the genetic structure we would expect if the population were in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium.

b. When a population is in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium, it means it is not evolving. This principle is not useful if any of its conditions are violated. Its assumptions include no mutation, no gene flow, random mating, very large population and no natural selection.

The two scenarios which makes it not useful is when there is :

Non-random mating- in non- random mating, organisms may prefer to mate with others of same genotype or of different genotypes. Non random mating won’t make allele frequencies in the population change by itself, though it can alter genotype frequencies.

Gene flow- It involves movement of genes into or out of a population, due to either the movement of individual organisms or their gametes. Organisms and gametes that enter a population may have new alleles, or may bring in existing alleles but in different proportions than those already in the population. It is a strong agent of evolution.