How does the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium function?

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium predicts the frequency of alleles in a population.

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a mathematical model that predicts the frequency of alleles in a population. It assumes that the population is large, random mating occurs, there is no mutation, migration or natural selection. The model predicts that the frequency of alleles will remain constant from generation to generation. This means that the ratio of homozygous dominant, heterozygous and homozygous recessive individuals will remain the same.

The equation used to calculate the frequency of alleles in a population is p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1, where p and q represent the frequency of the dominant and recessive alleles respectively. The equation can also be used to predict the frequency of genotypes in a population.

If the observed frequency of alleles or genotypes in a population deviates from the predicted values, it suggests that one or more of the assumptions of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium have been violated. This can be used to identify factors that are affecting the genetic makeup of a population, such as natural selection or genetic drift.

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a useful tool for understanding the genetic structure of populations and can be applied to a range of organisms, from bacteria to humans.