Final answer:
Mutations are sorted based on their effects on an organism's fitness: neutral mutations don't affect fitness, beneficial mutations enhance it, and harmful mutations reduce it. Beneficial examples include adaptations to dry environments or camouflage, while harmful examples comprise traits affecting sexual selection or growth in plants.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sorting mutations into categories based on their effects on the organisms that experience them can be aided by understanding their impact on an organism's fitness, which refers to its ability to survive and reproduce. A mutation in a noncoding region of DNA, or one that does not change protein synthesis, are usually considered neutral mutations because they do not typically affect the organism's fitness. Conversely, a mutation that increases the ability to store moisture in a dry environment, or increased white pigmentation on a prey animal in a snowy environment, are examples of beneficial mutations as they improve survival and reproductive success. On the other hand, a color mutation that decreases a bird's chances of sexual selection, or a mutation decreasing a plant's height in competition for light, are likely to be harmful mutations since they lower the organism's chances of surviving and reproducing.
Harmful:
- A color mutation that decreases a bird's chances of sexual selection
- A mutation decreasing a plant's height in competition for light
Beneficial:
- A mutation that increases the ability to store moisture in a dry environment
- Increased white pigmentation on a prey animal in a snowy environment
Neutral:
- A mutation in a noncoding region of DNA
- A mutation in a gene that does not change protein synthesis