What does genetic equilibrium imply about a population over time?

What does genetic equilibrium imply about a population over time?

• A. It is evolving rapidly.
• B. It has a constant allelic frequency.
• C. It is experiencing genetic drift.
• D. It lacks genetic diversity.

Answer: (B)

Genetic equilibrium indicates that a population's allelic frequencies remain constant over time, suggesting that evolutionary forces such as natural selection, mutation, migration, and genetic drift are not acting on the population. This steady state suggests that the proportions of different alleles and genotypes in the population do not change, which is a fundamental concept in population genetics known as the Hardy-Weinberg principle. In a state of genetic equilibrium, the population is considered stable in terms of its genetic composition, meaning that it is not undergoing significant evolutionary changes. This contrasts sharply with the other possible implications of the other choices, which suggest various forms of evolutionary dynamics rather than stability.

Genetic equilibrium indicates that a population's allelic frequencies remain constant over time, suggesting that evolutionary forces such as natural selection, mutation, migration, and genetic drift are not acting on the population. This steady state suggests that the proportions of different alleles and genotypes in the population do not change, which is a fundamental concept in population genetics known as the Hardy-Weinberg principle.

In a state of genetic equilibrium, the population is considered stable in terms of its genetic composition, meaning that it is not undergoing significant evolutionary changes. This contrasts sharply with the other possible implications of the other choices, which suggest various forms of evolutionary dynamics rather than stability.