Which equation expresses Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a fundamental principle in population genetics that provides a mathematical model for studying genetic variation in a population. The equation that accurately represents this equilibrium is ( p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1 ).

In this context, ( p ) represents the frequency of the dominant allele in a population, while ( q ) represents the frequency of the recessive allele. The terms in the equation correspond to:

• ( p^2 ): the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype (two dominant alleles),

• ( 2pq ): the frequency of the heterozygous genotype (one dominant and one recessive allele),

• ( q^2 ): the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype (two recessive alleles).

The sum of these three genotypic frequencies must equal 1, which reflects the total genetic makeup of the population. This equation assumes that certain conditions are met, such as a large population size, random mating, no mutations, no migration, and no selection, allowing allele frequencies to remain constant across generations.

The other options represent either simplifications or partial representations of the relationships between allele frequencies but do not describe the complete Hardy-Wein