A population in which the frequency of alleles remains the same over generations is said to be in genetic equilibrium. Describe one mechanism by which a populations' genetic equilibrium can be disrupted and result in the process of evolution.

Question

Biology

Amani Cantrell

9 May, 08:57

A population in which the frequency of alleles remains the same over generations is said to be in genetic equilibrium. Describe one mechanism by which a populations' genetic equilibrium can be disrupted and result in the process of evolution.

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Liana Peck · Answer 1

Natural selection disrupts the genetic equilibrium by favoring the genes for the traits that impart survival advantage to individuals.

Explanation:

Natural selection refers to the unequal survival rate of individuals of a population due to the presence of some beneficial adaptive genetic trait. These individuals are able to survive more and leave more progeny. Over generations, the population has increased number of these individuals leading to evolution of a population with different allele frequencies.

For example, the frequency of gene for antibiotic resistance in the bacterial population was increased once humans started using antibiotics to control the bacterial population. This led to the evolution of the bacterial population with antibiotic resistance.