Population Genetics and the Hardy–Weinberg Principle
Big idea: Population genetics connects Mendelian inheritance with evolution by tracking allele and genotype frequencies and by comparing real populations with an ideal equilibrium model.
Learning goals
- gene pool
- allele frequency
- Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium
- genetic drift
- gene flow
Core concepts
gene pool
The complete set of alleles present in a population at a particular time.
allele frequency
The proportion of all copies of a gene represented by one allele.
Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium
A null model in which allele frequencies remain constant when no evolutionary forces act and mating is random in a very large population.
genetic drift
Random change in allele frequencies, especially strong in small populations.
gene flow
Movement of alleles between populations through migration and reproduction.