Hardy-Weinberg law

Hardy-Weinberg law

Equation that describes genetic balance within a population. It may be stated as follows: In a large, random-mating population, the proportion of dominant and recessive genes (see dominance and recessiveness) tends to remain constant from generation to generation unless outside forces act to change it. Forces that can disturb this natural balance are selection, mutation, gene flow, and natural selection. Certain gene-controlled traits are selected for or against by the partners involved. The law is used to determine whether the number of harmful mutations in a population is increasing.

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Hardy-Weinberg law [¦här·dē ′wīn‚bərg ‚lȯ]

(genetics)

The concept that frequencies of both genes and genotypes will remain constant from generation to generation in an idealized population where mating is random and evolutionary forces (such as mutation, migration, selection, or genetic drift) are absent.