Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium: the condition in which both allele and genotype frequencies in a population remain constant from generation to generation unless specific disturbances occur.
The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a principle stating that the genetic variation in a population will remain constant from one generation to the next in the absence of disturbing factors.
The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle describes the unchanging frequency of alleles and genotypes in a stable, idealized population. In this population we assume there is random mating and sexual reproduction without normal evolutionary forces such as mutation, natural selection, or genetic drift.
When a population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for a gene, it is not evolving, and allele frequencies will stay the same across generations. There are five basic Hardy-Weinberg assumptions: no mutation, random mating, no gene flow, infinite population size, and no selection.
Definition of Hardy-Weinberg law : a fundamental principle of population genetics: population gene frequencies and genotype frequencies remain constant from generation to generation if mating is random and if mutation, selection, immigration, and emigration do not occur.
The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) is an important fundamental principal of population genetics, which states that “genotype frequencies in a population remain constant between generations in the absence of disturbance by outside factors” (Edwards, 2008).
Example 1a: A population of cats can be either black or white; the black allele (B) has complete dominance over the white allele (b). Given a population of 1,000 cats, 840 black and 160 white, determine the allele frequency, the frequency of individuals per genotype, and number of individuals per genotype.
Answer and Explanation: Hardy and Weinberg wanted to answer the question; how do allele and genotype frequencies change over generations?
The 5 factors are – gene flow, mutation, genetic drift, genetic recombination and natural selection.
The Hardy-Weinberg formulas allow scientists to determine whether evolution has occurred. Any changes in the gene frequencies in the population over time can be detected.
In the Hardy-Weinberg equations, what quantities are represented by the variables and ? Explanation: The variables and are specifically referring to the allele frequencies of the dominant and the recessive allele in a population, respectively.
Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) is a null model of the relationship between allele and genotype frequencies, both within and between generations, under assumptions of no mutation, no migration, no selection, random mating, and infinite population size.
There are five key mechanisms that cause a population, a group of interacting organisms of a single species, to exhibit a change in allele frequency from one generation to the next. These are evolution by: mutation, genetic drift, gene flow, non-random mating, and natural selection.
The first Hardy-Weinberg equation ( p + q = 1) concerns estimating the frequency of alleles in a population. Each gene usually has two alleles (diploid organism), one from each parent. These alleles are denoted as the dominant ( A) and recessive ( a) forms. These are represented as ‘ p ‘ and ‘ q ‘ is the equation below.
The Hardy-Weinberg principle, also referred to as the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, is a set of 5 assumptions which when satisfied can enable the determination of allele and genotype frequencies of a population. These frequencies will also remain constant for future generations. The principle was discovered by Godrey Hardy and Wilhelm Weinberg in 1908, based on Gregor Mendel’s Law of Segregation. To estimate the frequency of alleles and genotypes of a certain population, there is two simple formula that can be used.
Where ‘ p2 ‘ represents the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype ( AA ), ‘ 2pq ‘ the frequency of the heterozygous genotype ( Aa ) and ‘ q2 ‘ the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype ( aa ). The sum of these three genotypes must equal 1 (100%).
These frequencies will also remain constant for future generations. The principle was discovered by Godrey Hardy and Wilhelm Weinberg in 1908, based on Gregor Mendel’s Law of Segregation. To estimate the frequency of alleles and genotypes of a certain population, there is two simple formula that can be used.
To calculate Hardy-Weinberg equation you need to have the proportion of the studied genotype in order to calculate their frequence in the population from which you will find theorical frequency and then check if it matches reality.
The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a mathematical relationship of the alleles and genotypes in a population that meets certain characteristics. The relationships are as follow:
Now that we have the Hardy Weinberg frequency, we can calculate the theorical frequency of the genotype by multiplying the frequency by the total population :
The Hardy-Weinberg principle is not generally found in nature because it requires certain conditions in an environment. These conditions are the absence of the things that can cause evolution . In other words, if no mechanisms of evolution are acting on a population, evolution will not occur--the gene pool frequencies will remain unchanged. However, since it is highly unlikely that any of these seven conditions, let alone all of them, will happen in the real world, evolution is the inevitable result. The conditions are:
In a certain population, the dominant phenotype of a certain trait occurs 91% of the time. What is the frequency of the dominant allele?