Final answer:
The biological roles of DNA recombination are to generate genetic diversity, repair DNA damage, and facilitate chromosome segregation. Homologous recombination during meiosis introduces genetic variance and repairs DNA breaks. Accurate DNA repair mechanisms are critically conserved in all species for survival and evolution. The correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
The biological roles of DNA recombination include generating genetic diversity, repairing DNA damage, and facilitating chromosome segregation. During meiosis, homologous recombination occurs where homologous chromosomes align and may exchange alleles, a process known as crossing over, leading to recombinant DNA molecules.
This process not only helps to create genetic diversity but is also crucial for repairing damages like double-stranded DNA breaks. Due to the breakage and rejoining of parental chromosomes, new combinations of genes arise, which contribute to the genetic variance in a population. Furthermore, during meiosis I, crossing over is important for the normal segregation of chromosomes.
Cells use shared machinery to repair DNA during recombination, accurately fixing any nicks or breaks without causing deletions. These repair mechanisms are essential to the survival of species and are evolutionarily conserved across all species.
Errors during replication such as duplications or translocations can result in genetic variation or, in some cases, lethality. Therefore, accurate recombination and repair are imperative for both maintaining genetic integrity and enabling evolutionary processes.