Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 210 words written
Hardy-Weinberg Law
Opening
The law was proposed by Hardy & Weinberg which form a central idea in population genetics.
The law states that the genetic & genotypic frequency of a given population shall remain constant as long as the evolutionary forces don't act upon them.
However, it assumes following conditions
Body · points
- Population is a closed system
- There is no gene flow from external
- Every individual has equal chance of mating with every other i.e no segregation
- Not exposed to evolutionary forces.
Mathematical Interpretation
The law can be mathematically
represented as, Let p = frequency of one allele of a gene q = frequency of another allele of same gene ∴ [p + q = 1] i.e Genetic frequency is constant then, the genotypic frequency will be [p² + q² + 2pq = 1] p² → homozygous dominant condition q² → homozygous recessive pq → heterozygous condition.
Relevance
- Weinberg differential method - used in determining proportion of dizygotic & monozygotic in twin studies
- Law is crucial in evolutionary studies & helps determine the impact of evolutionary forces
- Population genetics - helps in determining the variations of human body at both intra & inter population level.
Close
The law is also used in Applied anthropology (Medical anthropology) showing its practicality