★★☆ Moderate

🧬 Population Genetics

Allele frequencies in a population change over generations through four forces: genetic drift (random sampling), natural selection (fitness differences), mutation, and migration. Without these forces, the Hardy-Weinberg principle predicts equilibrium frequencies: p² + 2pq + q² = 1.

Population N: 200 Initial p(A): 0.50 Selection s: 0.00 Mutation μ: 0.000

Generation: 0 p(A): — q(a): — H-W p²: — H-W 2pq: — H-W q²: —

🧬 Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

In an infinitely large, randomly mating population with no selection, mutation, or migration, allele frequencies remain constant across generations. If the frequency of allele A is p and allele a is q = 1−p, then genotype frequencies are:

p² (AA) + 2pq (Aa) + q² (aa) = 1

Real populations deviate from H-W due to genetic drift (especially in small populations), natural selection (positive/negative/ balancing), mutation (A↔a conversion), and founder effects after population bottlenecks. The simulation tracks these deviations in real time.