Question

Mutations are important to the evolution of a species because they:

a. happen over the long period of time that evolution requires.
b. cut out and replace damaged or useless genes.
c. are a source of genetic variability.
d. accelerate the transcription rate of DNA.

Answer 1

Mutations are changes to an organism's DNA and are an important driver of diversity in populations. Some mutations are unfavorable or harmful and are quickly eliminated by natural selection, while others are beneficial and will spread through the population. The impact of a mutation depends on whether it helps an organism survive and reproduce.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mutations are changes to an organism's DNA and are an important driver of diversity in populations. Species evolve because of mutations accumulating over time. The appearance of new mutations is the most common way to introduce novel genotypic and phenotypic variance. Some mutations are unfavorable or harmful and are quickly eliminated from the population by natural selection. Others are beneficial and will spread through the population. Whether or not a mutation is beneficial or harmful is determined by whether it helps an organism survive to sexual maturity and reproduce. Some mutations do not do anything and can linger, unaffected by natural selection, in the genome. Some can have a dramatic effect on a gene and the resulting phenotype.