Question

what happens when a population is in hardy-weinberg equilibrium?

a. the organisms with recessive traits do not reproduce.
b. the distribution of alleles does not change from one generation to the next.
c. the total number of organisms in the population does not change.
d. the amount of immigration equals the amount of emigration.

Explanation:

The Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium states that in a large, randomly - mating population with no migration, mutation, or selection, the allele and genotype frequencies remain constant from generation to generation. Option A is incorrect as there is no such rule in Hardy - Weinberg about recessive - trait organisms not reproducing. Option C is wrong because the total number of organisms can change (e.g., due to random factors not violating Hardy - Weinberg assumptions like no selection). Option D is incorrect as Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium assumes no migration (both immigration and emigration are zero, not just equal).

Answer:

B. The distribution of alleles does not change from one generation to the next.