Final answer:
Chromosome duplications can cause negative effects by creating an imbalance in gene expression that may result in developmental and physical disorders, potentially leading to infertility or lethal outcomes in organisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chromosome duplications can lead to negative effects in an organism because they result in multiple copies of genes that can disrupt the delicate balance of gene expression.
This imbalance can have various consequences, depending on the specific genes involved and their roles in the organism's development and function.
Chromosomal duplications often manifest in the form of developmental and physical disorders. For instance, Down syndrome is caused by trisomy 21, which is the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21.
Chromosomes carry many essential genes, and an alteration such as a duplication can lead to severe problems in fetal development.
In most cases, individuals with these abnormalities may not survive. If the organism does survive, it could have various syndromes or conditions that affect its quality of life.
Moreover, duplications can cause problems during reproduction, potentially leading to infertility if the duplications affect genes involved in reproductive processes.
Ultimately, while duplications can provide genetic variation, which is a source of evolution, they can also be detrimental, causing genetic disorders and affecting an individual's ability to survive and reproduce.