What are Genetic Mutations?
What role do mutations play in genetic variability?
Mutations play one of the biggest roles in genetic variability. Mutations are changes in the DNA. A single mutation can have a large effect, but in many cases, evolutionary change is based on the accumulation of many mutations. Also mutations are classified as beneficial, harmful or neutral. If the mutation is neutral, the mutation will most likely just stay with the organism or won't pass onto the next generation of offspring. If the mutation is harmful for it to survive, it will most likely be destroyed by the organism containing it by the organism dying. But if the mutation is beneficial to the organism, it will be favored by natural selection and could even spread through the population and become the dominant allele for that trait. Which would be considered to be evolution of that species. So mutations make each individual in a species slightly/largely different and leaves space for there to be mutations that would benefit the species and possibly become a dominant trait/evolution for the species.
Why is genetic variability an essential component of natural selection / evolution?
Since mutations make each individual in a species slightly/largely different and leaves space for there to be mutations that would benefit the species and possibly become a dominant trait/evolution for the species. And this is basically genetic variability, so without genetic variability there would be less of a chance to be an evolution/beneficial mutation to become dominant in a species or even become a new species entirely. Then there would be no or very little natural selection or evolution because of the lack of genetic variability.
How do mutations and environment drive evolution?
Mutations and environments drive evolution because the environment is constantly changing because of mutations in plants, climate change and other reasons. So with the changes in environment, mutations that are found in animals/plants, for example finches, are found through natural selection and are then spread through the whole population of finches. The different types of mutations, frameshift and substitution, that affect the species. Frameshift mutations, which are insertions (addition of nucleotide during protein synthesis) and deletions (subtraction of a nucleotide during protein synthesis) are one type of mutation that affects species. The other type of mutations are substitution mutations which are missense mutations (codes for a new amino acid in protein synthesis), silent mutations (codes for the same amino acid in protein synthesis but uses a different nucleotide), and nonsense mutations (codes for a stop codon in protein synthesis). Eventually with mutations or environmental change, the species evolves or becomes a new species entirely, showing how mutations and environment are connected to/drive evolution.
How do genetics and the environment work together for the survival of a species?
Genetics and environments work together for the survival of a species because of the mutations that the organisms create and the environment that can benefit those mutations. So as a mutation and the environment changes, species are either benefited or harmed by the changes. This can also result in predators of some animals, for example salmon, whose predator is an eagle, to possibly increase population of salmon if there is a climate change to affect the eagle population. And if there is a mutation in the eagles that changes their ability to hunt salmon, that would also help out the salmon species. Which is how they work together for the survival of a species.
How is it that there are millions of different species on earth today yet all species descended from a common ancestor?
The reason that there are millions upon millions of different species of earth, but have all descended from a common ancestor is from mutations and environment. There are several environments around the world like deserts, rain forests, tundra, and more that have changed over time. And in these different environments caused different types of mutations that had some organisms to evolve from their common ancestor with wings, scales, or several other things that lead to the animals/plants of today. All based off of the environments that they lived in after coming from their common ancestor and the mutations that followed in those environments.
Mutations play one of the biggest roles in genetic variability. Mutations are changes in the DNA. A single mutation can have a large effect, but in many cases, evolutionary change is based on the accumulation of many mutations. Also mutations are classified as beneficial, harmful or neutral. If the mutation is neutral, the mutation will most likely just stay with the organism or won't pass onto the next generation of offspring. If the mutation is harmful for it to survive, it will most likely be destroyed by the organism containing it by the organism dying. But if the mutation is beneficial to the organism, it will be favored by natural selection and could even spread through the population and become the dominant allele for that trait. Which would be considered to be evolution of that species. So mutations make each individual in a species slightly/largely different and leaves space for there to be mutations that would benefit the species and possibly become a dominant trait/evolution for the species.
Why is genetic variability an essential component of natural selection / evolution?
Since mutations make each individual in a species slightly/largely different and leaves space for there to be mutations that would benefit the species and possibly become a dominant trait/evolution for the species. And this is basically genetic variability, so without genetic variability there would be less of a chance to be an evolution/beneficial mutation to become dominant in a species or even become a new species entirely. Then there would be no or very little natural selection or evolution because of the lack of genetic variability.
How do mutations and environment drive evolution?
Mutations and environments drive evolution because the environment is constantly changing because of mutations in plants, climate change and other reasons. So with the changes in environment, mutations that are found in animals/plants, for example finches, are found through natural selection and are then spread through the whole population of finches. The different types of mutations, frameshift and substitution, that affect the species. Frameshift mutations, which are insertions (addition of nucleotide during protein synthesis) and deletions (subtraction of a nucleotide during protein synthesis) are one type of mutation that affects species. The other type of mutations are substitution mutations which are missense mutations (codes for a new amino acid in protein synthesis), silent mutations (codes for the same amino acid in protein synthesis but uses a different nucleotide), and nonsense mutations (codes for a stop codon in protein synthesis). Eventually with mutations or environmental change, the species evolves or becomes a new species entirely, showing how mutations and environment are connected to/drive evolution.
How do genetics and the environment work together for the survival of a species?
Genetics and environments work together for the survival of a species because of the mutations that the organisms create and the environment that can benefit those mutations. So as a mutation and the environment changes, species are either benefited or harmed by the changes. This can also result in predators of some animals, for example salmon, whose predator is an eagle, to possibly increase population of salmon if there is a climate change to affect the eagle population. And if there is a mutation in the eagles that changes their ability to hunt salmon, that would also help out the salmon species. Which is how they work together for the survival of a species.
How is it that there are millions of different species on earth today yet all species descended from a common ancestor?
The reason that there are millions upon millions of different species of earth, but have all descended from a common ancestor is from mutations and environment. There are several environments around the world like deserts, rain forests, tundra, and more that have changed over time. And in these different environments caused different types of mutations that had some organisms to evolve from their common ancestor with wings, scales, or several other things that lead to the animals/plants of today. All based off of the environments that they lived in after coming from their common ancestor and the mutations that followed in those environments.
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