Final answer:
Mutations can cause populations to change over time through natural selection and genetic drift. Beneficial mutations can give individuals a survival advantage, increasing their chances of passing on their genes. Mutations can also lead to changes in allele frequencies through genetic drift.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mutations can cause populations to change over time through the process of natural selection. Mutations are changes in the DNA sequence that can create new genetic variations in a population. In a population, individuals with beneficial mutations that enhance survival or reproductive success are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation.
For example, consider a population of insects where some individuals have a mutation that makes them resistant to a certain pesticide. When the pesticide is used, most of the insects die, but the ones with the resistance mutation survive and reproduce, passing on the resistant trait to their offspring. Over time, the proportion of insects with the resistance mutation increases in the population.
Another way mutations can cause population changes is through genetic drift. Genetic drift is a random change in allele frequencies in a population. Mutations introduce new alleles into a population, and if those mutations become more common due to genetic drift, they can lead to changes in the population's genetic makeup.
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