Question

question 9 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. both alleles ensure equal survival.

b. there are no mutations in the alleles for height.

c. one plant pollinates more flowers than the others.

d. the pea flowers are pollinated at random

Explanation:

To determine why the pea plant population is not at Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium, we recall the Hardy - Weinberg assumptions: no mutation, random mating, no natural selection, no gene flow, and large population size.

• Option A: Equal survival means no natural selection against either allele, which is a condition for Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium.
• Option B: No mutations in the height alleles satisfies one of the Hardy - Weinberg assumptions.
• Option C: If one plant pollinates more flowers than others, it means mating is not random (some individuals have more reproductive success), violating the random mating assumption of Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium.
• Option D: Random pollination satisfies the random mating assumption of Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium.

Answer:

C. One plant pollinates more flowers than the others.