Question

Why do populations rarely fulfill the Hardy-Weinberg conditions?

Answer 1

Populations almost always evolve.

Explanation:

The five Hardy-Weinberg principles are principles that dictate if a population is evolving or not. Only if all 5 are fulfilled, then a population is not evolving. However, many of these principles are very difficult to fulfill, as evolution is a process rarely not ongoing in the wild. They are:

1. Random mating (Organisms do not choose their mates in any way, shape, or form)

2. Large population (This one is relatively easy to fulfill)

3. No individuals entering/leaving population (If a population is completely isolated, such as in an underground lake or a very remote island, this one can be fulfilled)

4. No mutations (This one is nearly impossible to fulfill. Random, spontaneous gene mutation occurs in every organism with DNA and/or RNA that I can think of. Of course, I could be wrong and there could be an organism that cannot change its genetic material.)

5. No natural or artificial selection (This one is extremely difficult to fulfill outside of laboratory conditions. This means that there are no predators or organisms that can harm population members, no diseases that certain members are more or less susceptible to, no competition between population members for food, water, or other resources, and any variances in adaptations essentially do not matter at all.)

Because it is very difficult to fulfill all of these conditions, populations are almost always evolving.