Which of the following statements is true about the equilibrium frequency?

Question

Hi, I think the answer is C because when the mutations even out, they ,maybe will become fixed. I'm not sure though because I know hardy Weinberg equilibrium occurs when there are no mutations.

A) Equilibrium always occurs when the frequency of each allele equals 0.5.

B) Equilibrium occurs when the mutation rate A --> a = the mutation rate a --> A.

C) Equilibrium occurs when the number of mutations A --> a = the number of mutation a --> A.

Answer 1

Hi Kiley! Although I could see why C would seem correct, I think the best answer to this question is B. We know that chemical equilibrium happens when the chemical reaction, or biochemical process, has an equal rate of going forwards and backward. In this case, equilibrium would occur when the rate of mutations from A to a equals the rate of mutations from a to A. Does this make sense?

Equilibrium doesn't necessarily mean that we have the same number of products, but rather that we have the same rate of product creation (in both directions!)! If you need extra help in genetics or biology, feel free to reach out :)