Question

Which of the following is a condition that must be met for a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

• A. The population in question must be small.
• B. Organisms must be free to migrate into or out of the population.
• C. New mutations must be introduced to the gene pool at a consistent and unfluctuating rate.
• D. Organisms in the population must express no mating preferences.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Organisms in the population must express no mating preferences.

Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium is also called as Hardy–Weinberg principle. According to this, the allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant over generations in the absence of evolutionary processes like mutation, migration, selection. There are 5 conditions that must be met for a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These are:

1. The population must be large.

2. Random mating.

3. No mutations.

4. No immigration or emigration.

5. No natural selection.

Thus, the correct answer is 'Organisms in the population must express no mating preferences.'