High School

If all of the assumptions of the Hardy-Weinberg Law are met, we would expect:

A. Allele frequencies (p and q) in the population to follow \( p + q = 1 \).

B. The allele frequencies to change significantly for a given gene from generation to generation.

C. The allele frequencies to not change for a given gene from generation to generation.

D. A single generation of random mating to produce the genotype frequencies of \( p^2 \) and \( q^2 \).

Answer :

If all the assumptions of the Hardy-Weinberg Law are met, c. the allele frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation.

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium mathematically describes the relationship between allele frequency and genotype frequency in a population.

According to this law, if the frequencies of two contrasting alleles at a locus in the parent population are p and q, then p + q = 1. The genotype frequencies in the progeny will be p² + 2pq + q² = 1.

Given the conditions of the Hardy-Weinberg Law:

  1. The population is very large.
  2. There is no migration (no introduction or loss of alleles).
  3. Mating is random.
  4. There are no mutations.
  5. There is no natural selection.

If all these assumptions are met, the allele frequencies in the population will remain constant from generation to generation, meaning they will not change. Therefore, the correct answer is: c. The allele frequencies do not change for a given gene from generation to generation.