Biological Study Systems
Genetic equilibrium has been studied in a number of taxa. Some marine species in particular have been used as study systems. The life history of marine organisms like sea urchins appear to fulfill the requirements of genetic equilibrium modeling better than terrestrial species. They exist in large, panmictic populations that don’t appear to be strongly affected by geographic barriers. In spite of this, some studies have found considerable differentiation across the range of a species. Instead, when looking for genetic equilibrium, studies found large, wide-spread species complexes. This indicates that genetic equilibrium may be rare or difficult to identify in the wild, due to considerable local demographic changes on shorter time scales.
In fact, although a large population size is a required condition for genetic equilibrium according to Hardy-Weinberg, some have argued that a large population size can actually slow the approach to genetic equilibrium. This can have implications for conservation, where genetic equilibrium can be used as a marker of a healthy and sustainable population.
Read more about this topic: Genetic Equilibrium
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