Genetic Variation and Mutation

Question 1

What causes genetic variation?

Answer 1

Mutations, meiosis (crossing over and independent assortment), and sexual reproduction.

Genetic variation is crucial for evolution and adaptation.

Question 2

What is a mutation?

Answer 2

A change in the DNA sequence that can affect gene function.

Mutations can be spontaneous or induced by environmental factors.

Question 3

What are the types of point mutations?

Answer 3

Insertion, deletion, substitution.

Point mutations can lead to significant changes in protein function.

Question 4

What are the effects of mutations?

Answer 4

Missense (wrong amino acid), nonsense (stop codon), silent (no change in amino acid).

The type of mutation can influence the severity of its effects on an organism.