Pseudo-random mating populations. In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Hardy-Weinberg law.

Abstract

Abstract That random mating leads to Hardy-Weinberg distribution of genotypes is well known. This report is to show that, if the deviations from random mating are of a certain pattern, the offspring generation will also be in Hardy-Weinberg proportions. This brings out the fact that random mating is a sufficient condition, not a necessary one, for the attainment of the Hardy-Weinberg proportions. Such nonrandom-mating populations are tentatively said to be pseudo-random mating. Pseudo-random-mating populations exist for both autosomal and sex-linked systems with two or multiple alleles. This report covers the basic case of a two-allele autosomal locus in detail, but the possible extension to two loci and cytonuclear systems have also been mentioned in discussion.