Question

A biologist measures the allele frequencies of pea plants in a very controlled environment. The plants can either have a dominant tall allele (T) or a recessive short allele (t). Which of the following is a reason that this population is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

A. The pea plants are mated at random.
B. Both alleles ensure equal survival.
C. One pea plant mutates to have a new allele.
D. Every pea plant reproduces exactly once.

Answer 1

The answer is One pea plant mutates to have a new allele.

Answer 2

The correct answer would be option C.

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium refers to the equilibrium of the gene frequencies in a population from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences.

The Hardy-Weinberg assumptions for this equilibrium are:

• Random mating
• No mutation
• No natural selection
• No emigration and immigration
• Large population size

Thus, the formation of a new allele by mutation would disturb the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.