Question

What is mutation? - multiple answers may be correct

1 Effect of environment on DNA base-pair sequences.

2 A heritable change in DNA base-pair sequences.

3 Inheritable change in DNA base-pair sequences.

4 An allele that produces its phenotype only when two copies are present.

5 The changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations.

6 A change in the DNA sequence of an organism

Answer 1

What is mutation?

Mutation refers to a change in the DNA sequence of an organism. It can be heritable, meaning it can be passed down from one generation to the next, or non-heritable, occurring during a lifetime. Mutations can arise from various factors, such as exposure to radiation, chemicals, or errors during DNA replication. Mutations can have a variety of effects on an organism, including being silent, leading to a new phenotype, or causing genetic diseases.

Some of the options given are correct explanations of mutation. Specifically, options 2, 3, 5, and 6 are all correct definitions of mutation.

Option 1, on the other hand, refers to a possible effect of the environment on DNA base-pair sequences, which can be related to mutations, but is not the definition of mutation itself.

Option 4 refers to a different concept, specifically, a type of allele that only produces a phenotype when two copies are present.

~ Zeph