Variation Flashcards
1
Q
What is variation?
A
The differences in organisms within a species
2
Q
Give two forms of variation.
A
- Genetic variation
- Environmental variation
3
Q
What name is given to a characteristic caused by environmental variation?
A
An acquired characteristic
4
Q
Variation influences an organism’s phenotype.
Describe one cause of genetic variation.
A
New alleles arising through mutations
5
Q
What are mutations?
A
Changes to the base sequence of an organism’s DNA
6
Q
(Exam-style question)
A
7
Q
There tends to be a lot of genetic variation within a population of a species.
What is this mostly caused by?
A
Neutral mutations
8
Q
Describe the likelihood of a genetic mutation having an effect on an organism’s phenotype.
A
- Most mutations have no effect on phenotype
- Some mutations have a small effect on the phenotype
- Rarely, a single mutation will significantly affect the phenotype
