Final answer:
Mutation itself does not directly cause HW disequilibrium. Additional factors such as natural selection, genetic drift, migration, or non-random mating need to be present.
Step-by-step explanation:
HW disequilibrium, also known as Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium, refers to a population not being in equilibrium in terms of allele frequencies. This can occur due to certain factors, including mutation.
However, mutation itself does not directly cause HW disequilibrium. Mutations introduce new alleles into a population, but in order to cause HW disequilibrium, additional factors such as natural selection, genetic drift, migration, or non-random mating need to be present.
For example, if a mutation introduces a beneficial allele that provides a selective advantage, natural selection may increase the frequency of that allele, resulting in HW disequilibrium.