What is the difference between a stable equilibrium and a neutral equilibrium in
ID: 61044 • Letter: W
Question
What is the difference between a stable equilibrium and a neutral equilibrium in population genetics? What kind of data would you need to collect about a population to establish that it is in a stable equilibrium, as opposed to a neutral one? Describe two different population genetic scenarios involving natural selection that are expected to cause a population to reach an equilibrium in allele frequencies. For each scenario, explain what population genetic mechanisms are operating, and what kind of equilibrium is obtained in each case and why. Give an example of one of the two scenarios
Explanation / Answer
Stable equilibrium is one that returns to original equilibrium after being perturbed, while neutral equilibrium is the one where allele frequency constant without any change after being perturbed.
The processes that affect the allele frequency are mutation, selection, migration, and genetic drift.
The two different types of natural selection are directional selection and stabilizing selection. In directional selection, the individuals are removed from one end of phenotypic distribution, while in stabilizing selection the individuals are removed from both ends of phenotypic distribution.
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