Population Genetics and Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

Vocabulary terms covering population genetics, the Hardy-Weinberg principle, and the conditions required for population equilibrium based on lecture notes.

Punnett Square

A genetic tool used to analyze genotype probability and phenotype at the level of a single individual rather than at the population level.

Hardy-Weinberg Equation

A mathematical model used to predict that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant across generations under the assumption of equilibrium.

Population Equilibrium

A state in which a population experiences no evolution and overall net allele and genotype frequencies stay the same across generations because evolutionary mechanisms are absent.

Natural Selection

A process where the environment chooses the parents, selecting for certain organisms over others based on particular traits that confer an advantage.

Large Population Size

A condition required for equilibrium where a population is so vast that random mutations function like a single raindrop and do not alter overall allele frequencies.

Migration

The movement of a subset of a population into another area, introducing and mixing their genes into that population and altering allele frequencies.

Random Mating

The pairing of individuals based on criteria that have nothing to do with their genotypes, preventing shifts in allele frequencies.