Question

Which of the following are the effects of mutations?

a. harmful, neutral, or beneficial
b. only harmful
c. usually neutral, rarely harmful, and never beneficial
d. usually harmful and rarely beneficial, but never neutral

Answer 1

Mutations can be harmful, neutral, or beneficial, ranging from causing genetic disorders to providing evolutionary advantages like resistance to diseases. Neutral mutations have no effect on an organism's fitness, while beneficial ones may become more common through natural selection.

Step-by-step explanation:

Effects of Mutations

Mutations can have a range of effects on an organism, which can be categorized as harmful, neutral, or beneficial. Harmful mutations can lead to genetic disorders or cancer, lowering an organism's fitness—their ability to survive and reproduce. Neutral mutations, such as silent point mutations, have no effect on fitness because they do not change the amino acids in the proteins they encode. Lastly, beneficial mutations may provide an advantage by generating new versions of proteins that help the organism adapt to its environment. For example, a 32 base pair deletion in the human CCR5 gene confers HIV resistance. It's important to remember that the process of evolution involves random mutations and their effects, which can be any of these three.