Which field of study focuses on allele and genotype frequencies?

Population genetics is the field of study that specifically examines allele and genotype frequencies within populations and how these frequencies change over time due to various evolutionary processes such as natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow. This discipline utilizes mathematical models and statistical methods to understand the genetic structure of populations, how they evolve, and how different factors influence genetic variation.

By analyzing the distribution of genetic variations within and between populations, population genetics provides insights into the mechanisms of evolution, the effects of environmental changes on genetic diversity, and the implications for conservation biology. This makes it a foundational aspect of evolutionary biology, relating directly to the patterns observed in the genetic makeup of populations through the examination of inheritance and variations over generations.

Other fields like phylogenetics focus on evolutionary relationships among species using genetic data, ecology studies interactions between organisms and their environment, while biogeography examines the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geologic time. While these fields may tangentially relate to genetic concepts, they do not concentrate on allele and genotype frequencies as population genetics does.