What does P² represent in the context of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

In the context of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, P² represents the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype in a population. The Hardy-Weinberg principle provides a mathematical representation to study genetic variations in a population under certain assumptions, such as no mutations, random mating, no natural selection, and no gene flow.

In this model, the allele frequencies are denoted by P and Q, where P is the frequency of the dominant allele and Q is the frequency of the recessive allele. The genotypic frequencies can then be expressed as follows:

• P² represents the frequency of individuals that are homozygous dominant (AA).

• 2PQ represents the frequency of heterozygous individuals (Aa).

• Q² represents the frequency of individuals that are homozygous recessive (aa).

Thus, since P² is specifically related to the homozygous dominant genotype, it clearly illustrates how dominant alleles can manifest in a population. Understanding this aspect helps students grasp how allele frequencies contribute to genotypic distributions in accordance with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.