1. There are five basic processes that affect the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and cause variations at genetic level.
2. These include (i) Mutation (ii) recombination (iii) Gene migration (iv) Genetic drift and (v) natural selection.
3. Among the above five processes, lets discuss how mutation, natural selection and genetic drift affect Hardy Weinberg equilibrium.
(a) Mutation:
1. Mutation are sudden heritable changes in the characteristics of the organisms.
2. These mutations are random (indiscriminate) with respect to the adoptive needs of organisms.
3. Most mutations are harmful or with no effects (neutral) on their bearers.
4. However under changed environmental conditions, the alleles, which were previously harmful or neutral may become advantageous.
5. The rate of mutation is very slow usually one mutation occurs in a million still these mutation rates are sufficient to create considerable genetic variation.
6. Mutations help in maintaining variations within population.
7. Mutation also introduce new genes and alleles into the gene pool (sum total of all genotypes or alleles found in a population).
8. It is the gene pool in which new genes are added or removed. This variability of genes (or) alleles in a gene pool, then serve as a raw material for evolutionary changes.
9. The accumulation of many mutations over hundreds of generation cause large scale changes.
(b) Natural selection
1. Natural selection is the most important evolutionary process that brings about changes in allele frequencies.
Definition
1. The process of differential reproduction that lead to differential contribution of genotypes to the gene pool of the next generation.
2. Natural selection results a change in allele frequencies of a population.
(c) Genetic drift
1. It refers to the elimination of certain genes in a small isolated population either due to intensive inbreeding causing permanent fixation of some genes or death of a small section of population by natural calamity.
Definition
1. The random changes in the allele frequency occurring by chance alone are called genetic drift.
2. This means that the alleles that form the gene pool of the next generation are a sample of the allele from current generation.
3. Sampling errors (chances) often lead to the elimination of certain alleles and fixation by others thus reducing the genetic variability of the population.
4. The effect of genetic drift is very small in large but can be large in a small population.
5. Thus these forces that change the allele and genotypic frequencies in a population and so called evolutionary agents.
6. As long as Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium remains constant the evolution cannot occur since the genetic equilibrium is a sort of inertia whose tendency is rather conservative. Evolution become possible only if the inertia is overcome or the equilibrium is broken.

Fossilization is the process by which plant and animal remains are preserved in sedimentary rocks. They fall under three main categories.
(i) Actual remains
The original hard parts such as bones, teeth or shells are preserved as such in the earth's atmosphere, which is not the common method of fozzilization.
2. When marine animals die, their hard parts such as bones, shells etc. are covered with sediments and are protected from further deterioration.
3. Such parts get preserved in vast ocean, the salinity in them prevents decay.
4. The sediments become hardened to form definite layers (or) strata.
5. For example wooly mammoth that lived 22 thousand years ago were preserved in the frozen coast of Siberia as such, several human beings and animals living in the animals living in the ancient city of pompeii were preserved infact by volcanic ash which gushed out from Mount Vesuvivs.
(ii) Petrifaction
1. After death of animals their original portion of their body may be replaced molecule for molecule by minerals and the original substance being lost through disintegration.
2. This method of fozzilation is called pertifaction.
3. The principle minerals involved in this type fozzilation are iron, pyrites, silica, calcium, carbonate, and bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium.
(iii) Natural moulds and casts
1. Even after disintegration, the body of an animal might leave indelible impression on the soft mud which later becomes hardened into stones. Such impressions are called moulds.
2. The cavities of the moulds may get filled up by hard minerals and get fozzillized, which are called casts.
3. Hardened faecal. matter termed as coprolites occur as tiny pellets.
4. Analysis of the coprolites enable us to understand the nature of diet, the pre historic animals thrived on.

1. Hardy -Weinberg principle states that the  allele frequencies in a population are stable  and remain constant from generation to  generation it is called genetic equilibrium.
2. The sum total of all the allele frequencies is one and is represented by the equation.
p² + 2pq + q² = 1
Any change of frequency of alleles in a population in interpreted as resulting in evolution.
The factors that affect the genetic equilibrium are
1. Gene flow/migration
2. Genetic drift
3. Mutation
4. Genetic recombination