Final answer:
A mutation is a heritable change in the DNA sequence. Mutations can result in a recognizable change in phenotype and can be classified as point mutations, insertion mutations, or deletion mutations.
Step-by-step explanation:
A mutation is a heritable change in the DNA sequence of an organism. The resulting organism, called a mutant, may have a recognizable change in phenotype compared to the wild type. A change in the DNA sequence can lead to an altered amino acid sequence in a protein, which may result in an altered phenotype for the cell and organism.
There are several types of mutations, including point mutations, where a single base is substituted or replaced by another, and insertion and deletion mutations, where one or more bases are added or removed from the DNA sequence. A mutation with two fewer nucleotides in its sequence would be an example of a deletion mutation.