Which of the following is NOT one of the Hardy-Weinburg assumptions?

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The Hardy-Weinberg principle is a foundational concept in population genetics that provides a framework for understanding the genetic composition of a population under certain ideal conditions. This principle assumes several key factors that must be met for a population to be in genetic equilibrium, meaning the allele and genotype frequencies will remain constant from one generation to the next.

One of the critical assumptions is that the population must be infinitely large. This assumption helps minimize the effects of genetic drift, which can significantly alter allele frequencies in smaller populations. As a result, finite population size, which refers to a limited number of individuals in a population, is not in line with the Hardy-Weinberg assumptions. In fact, a finite population size can lead to fluctuations in allele frequencies due to random events, which contradicts the stability implied by the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

In contrast, random mating ensures that individuals are paired without any bias towards certain genotypes, no gene flow prohibits migration of individuals into or out of the population, and no selection means that all individuals have equal survival and reproductive chances, preserving the genetic structure. Thus, the assumption of finite population size does not align with Hardy-Weinberg conditions, making it the correct choice for the question posed.

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