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Why is mutation needed for evolution to occur, even though it usually has little effect on allele frequencies?

User Relentless Idiot
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1 Answer

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14 votes
Mutation creates new genetic variation in a gene pool. ... For any given gene, the chance of a mutation occurring in a given gamete is very low. Thus, mutations alone do not have much effect on allele frequencies. However, mutations provide the genetic variation needed for other forces of evolution to act.
User Richard Moss
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