Question

question 3 of 10
a biologist measures the allele frequencies of pea plants in a very controlled environment. the plants can either have a dominant tall allele (t) or a recessive short allele (t). which of the following would be a reason that this population is not at hardy - weinberg equilibrium?
a. the pea flowers are pollinated at random.
b. there are no mutations in the alleles for height.
c. all of the pea plants reproduce exactly once.
d. tall plants are more likely to survive.

Explanation:

The Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium has several assumptions: no mutation (B is in line with an assumption), random mating (A is in line with an assumption), no natural selection, large population size, and no gene flow. If tall plants are more likely to survive (D), this implies natural selection is acting on the population. Natural selection violates the Hardy - Weinberg assumption of no selection, so this would be a reason the population is not at Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium. Option C (all plants reproduce exactly once) is not a violation of the Hardy - Weinberg assumptions.

Answer:

D. Tall plants are more likely to survive.