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The same mutation could be advantageous in some environments but deleterious in others

A) True.
B) False.

User Timea
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The statement is true; mutations can be advantageous or deleterious depending on environmental conditions. Certain mutations can improve an organism's survival in one environment while being harmful in another. The advantage or disadvantage of a mutation is tied to the fitness it confers in the prevailing environmental context.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that the same mutation could be advantageous in some environments but deleterious in others is true. Mutations can affect an organism's survival and reproduction in various ways. While the great majority of mutations are deleterious, there are instances where a mutation can be advantageous. For example, a mutation that confers insecticide resistance in mosquitos increases their survival in environments where insecticides are used. Conversely, this same mutation could be disadvantageous in a different environment that does not require such resistance and where the metabolic cost of resistance may reduce the mosquito's fitness.

Environmental conditions significantly influence whether a mutation is beneficial, neutral, or deleterious. A classic example is the peppered moth during the Industrial Revolution; moths with a mutation causing dark coloration had increased survival in polluted, soot-covered environments. In summary, the fitness conferred by a mutation is not fixed but can vary with environmental changes.

User Ungeheuer
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