Question

1. which of the following populations is most likely to be in hardy-weinberg equilibrium?

• birds competing for nest sites
• bacteria with mutating genomes
• prairie dogs with established burrows
• a few starfish in a tidal pool

Explanation:

To be in Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium, a population should meet conditions like no mutation, large population size, no gene flow, random mating, and no natural selection.

• Birds competing for nest sites: Competition implies natural selection (favoring better competitors), so not in equilibrium.
• Bacteria with mutating genomes: Mutation violates the no - mutation condition of Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium.
• Prairie dogs with established burrows: Established burrows suggest a stable population with no strong selection (assuming random mating, large enough population, etc. are met relatively well compared to others).
• A few starfish in a tidal pool: Small population size means genetic drift is likely, violating the large population size condition.

Answer:

C. prairie dogs with established burrows