Question

An island is on the migration route of sea birds. This island also has abundant tree nesting birds that live on the island permanently and are not found on any other island. The tree nesting birds are more likely than the sea birds to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium because:?

1) the sea bird population is larger.
2) of high immigration in the sea bird population.
3) there are fewer mutations in the sea birds.
4) mating is random in the tree nesting birds.
5) natural selection is stronger in the tree nesting birds.

Answer 1

The tree nesting birds are more likely to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium than the sea birds because the sea birds are subject to high immigration, which disrupts the allele frequencies in their population.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the principles of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and its application to an island's bird populations. The principle states that allele frequencies in a sexually reproducing population remain constant from generation to generation unless influenced by factors such as mutation, natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift, and non-random mating. The tree nesting birds are more likely than the sea birds to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium primarily because of high immigration in the population of sea birds. Immigration introduces new alleles to the population and can alter allele frequencies, thus disrupting the equilibrium. In comparison, the abundant tree nesting birds that live on the island permanently and are not found on any other island are more isolated and are less likely to experience gene flow, making them more probable candidates for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.