What is the Hardy-Weinberg Principle useful for to geneticists?

• A. Determining the age of fossils based on genetic markers
• B. Explaining the process of natural selection in changing environments
• C. Calculating the mutation rate of a specific gene
• D. Predicting the genetic variation of a population under equilibrium conditions

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. The Hardy-Weinberg Principle is a fundamental concept in population genetics that provides a mathematical model to study genetic variation in a population under certain conditions.
2. This principle assumes that a population is infinitely large, mating is random, and there are no evolutionary influences such as mutation, migration, or natural selection.
3. Under these conditions, the allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation, which is known as Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
4. Geneticists use the Hardy-Weinberg Principle to predict the genetic variation of a population by calculating the expected frequencies of alleles and genotypes.
5. By comparing the observed genetic data with the expected frequencies under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, geneticists can infer whether a population is evolving or if certain assumptions of the principle are being violated.