A population of birds was described as being in genetic equilibrium (Hardy Weinberg equilibrium) for a gene locus determining beak colour - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 25 - 2002 - Paper 1
Question 25
A population of birds was described as being in genetic equilibrium (Hardy Weinberg equilibrium) for a gene locus determining beak colour.
It would be reasonable to ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A population of birds was described as being in genetic equilibrium (Hardy Weinberg equilibrium) for a gene locus determining beak colour - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 25 - 2002 - Paper 1
Step 1
A. there was gene flow occurring between this population and an adjacent population.
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Answer
This option suggests that there is exchange of alleles with another population, indicating that the population is not in isolation and thus not in genetic equilibrium.
Step 2
B. there was selection against one of the beak colours in this population.
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Answer
This contradicts the principle of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, where no selection should occur; any selection would disrupt this equilibrium.
Step 3
C. the birds in the population were mating at random.
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This statement supports Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, as random mating is one of the key assumptions required for a population to be in genetic equilibrium.
Step 4
D. the population was small.
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A small population size can lead to genetic drift, which contradicts the Hardy-Weinberg condition of large population size being necessary for genetic equilibrium.
