Which of the following equations represents the Hardy-Weinberg principle?

The Hardy-Weinberg principle describes the genetic variation within a population that is in equilibrium. It provides a mathematical framework to understand the frequencies of alleles and genotypes in a population, assuming no external factors are influencing these frequencies.

The equation that encapsulates the Hardy-Weinberg principle is represented as p² + 2pq + q² = 1. In this equation:

• p represents the frequency of the dominant allele in the population,

• q represents the frequency of the recessive allele,

• p² represents the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype,

• 2pq represents the frequency of the heterozygous genotype, and

• q² represents the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype.

The significance of this equation lies in its ability to predict the distribution of genotypes if the population is not evolving—meaning it assumes no mutation, migration, selection, or genetic drift. When a population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, it indicates that allele frequencies will remain constant from generation to generation unless acted upon by external forces.

Other options do not accurately reflect the principles of population genetics or the formulation provided by Hardy and Weinberg. Thus, the equation p² + 2pq + q² =