Question

Some mutations can have beneficial effects on organisms. Which of the following would be considered a beneficial mutation?

a) Insertion of a base pair resulting in altered protein production.
b) Deletion of a crucial gene segment.
c) Substitution causing a stop codon to appear prematurely.
d) Duplication of a gene enhancing specific trait expression.

Answer 1

The beneficial mutation is the duplication of a gene which enhances a specific trait, improving an organism's fitness by potentially providing an adaptive advantage.

so the correct answer is Option D

Step-by-step explanation:

Among the options provided, the one that would be considered a beneficial mutation is d) Duplication of a gene enhancing specific trait expression. This type of mutation can lead to an increase in the expression of a gene, potentially giving the organism an adaptive advantage. For example, gene duplication may result in additional copies of a gene that confers resistance to a disease or stressor, improving the fitness of an organism. Contrarily, the other options such as insertion leading to altered protein production (a), deletion of a crucial gene segment (b), and substitution causing a premature stop codon (c) are more likely to be detrimental, as they can disrupt normal protein function.

the correct answer is Option D