An all-in-one model: Computer simulation of population genetics and evolution under Hardy-Weinburg conditions

Population genetics studies the genetic basis of evolution in a quantitative manner. The Hardy-Weinberg Principle is one of the simplest and most important principles in population genetics. Physical models are generally applied in laboratory of evolution to simulate the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, which are often time consuming and error prone. Here, we presented a computer simulation program to model the genetic equilibrium between allele and genotype frequencies of a single gene under Hardy-Weinberg conditions with various selection pressures against dominant and/or recessive allele. The simulation program is based on the simplified all-in-one mathematical model. Results demonstrated that the accuracy of the all-in-one model was comparable to the ones implemented using three individual equations. The all-in-one model provides a more convenient and efficient way with regard to the computer programming. Our computer simulation program will greatly facilitate the biological education to provide the students hands-on experience to investigate the causes of evolutionary changes. In addition, it may also be extended further to simulate the effects of other factors such as genetic mutation and population migration on evolutionary process.