Recent studies reveal that certain areas of the DNA are less prone to DNA mutations and that mutations may not be random after all. In a study on Arabidopsis thaliana, important genes that are involved in cell growth and expression have been observed to have low mutation rates. What is a possible implication of this observation in evolution?

Recent studies reveal that certain areas of the DNA are less prone to DNA mutations and that mutations may not be random after all. In a study on Arabidopsis thaliana, important genes that are involved in cell growth and expression have been observed to have low mutation rates. What is a possible implication of this observation in evolution?

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Description: Recent studies reveal that certain areas of the DNA are less prone to DNA mutations and that mutations may not be random after all. In a study on Arabidopsis thaliana, important genes that are involved in cell growth and expression have been observed

Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)

11th Edition

ISBN:9781305251052

Author:Michael Cummings

Publisher:Michael Cummings

Chapter10: From Proteins To Phenotypes

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 23QP

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You are collaborating with a cool new local brewery on an experiment with one of their strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae, brewer’s yeast. You decide to apply what you learned in Evolution to create a mutation accumulation (MA) line to see if the patterns of mutation in their strain of S. cerevisiae follow patterns seen in other species. Which of the following best describes an actual result you observe form studying the mutation accumulation (MA) lines you created? a. Beneficial mutations occur far less frequently than deleterious mutations do. b. The neutral mutations had a greater effect on fitness compared to other mutation types. c. Most of the mutations that occur are the result of large chromosomal rearrangements. d. Of all possible mutation types, deleterious mutations are the most common mutation.
What is the difference between a neutral and an adaptive evolutionary process? Describe two or more examples of each. At the molecular level, explain how mutations can be neutral or adaptive.
For each of the following examples, discuss whether the observed result is due to neutral mutations or mutations that have been acted on by natural selection, or both: A. When comparing sequences of homologous genes, differences in the coding sequence are most common at the wobble base (i.e., the third base in each codon). B. For a protein-encoding gene, the regions that encode portions of the polypeptide that are vital for structure and function are less likely to display mutations than other regions of the gene. C. When comparing the sequences of homologous genes, introns usually have more sequence differences than exons.
Genes control thousands of different traits in plants. These genes can be selected for during natural selection (which drives evolution) and artificial selection (which drives domestication of dogs, crops, etc). During the domestication of modern tomato, describe the traits that were and were not selected. In your own words, describe in 2-3 sentences why domesticated tomatoes bought at a grocery store are lackluster compared to heirlooms or wild tomatoes. What are a few genetic and non-genetic traits that control tomato flavor and taste?
What is a gene? Why are regulatory genes important to the evolutionary process? What is a mutation as defined in this course and readings. Are the end results of a mutation always "good" or always "bad"? Or is a mutation perhaps neither always good or always bad and could be "neutral or no effect" or "adaptive" in some situations? Does it depend on the gene, amino acid, protein, and case-by-case scenario? What genetic evidence suggests that humans are a part of a biological continuum with all life forms. Does the number of genes in a biological organism correlate, predict, or denote the complexity of the organism? Does the number of chromosomes in a biological organism correlate, predict, or denote the complexity of the organism?
A common misconception of evolution is that it should naturally eliminate "harmful" alleles/mutations if they do not assist survival or reproduction. Explain why this is inaccurate and how these "harmful" mendelian alleles persist within the human genome. In your response, give an example of a mendelian allele that causes a "harmful" genetic disease that does not appear to have a beneficial component
The platypus is one of a very small number of mammals that are venomous. Researchers compared the substances in the platypus venom to that of venomous reptiles. They found that the venom in platypus was derived from a protein called defensin, while that in many reptiles was based on a protein called crotamine. The protein structure of these molecules is remarkably similar, though they are controlled by unrelated genes in each taxa. Both molecules originated as non-toxic antimicrobial compounds. Part A: Venom in both platypus and reptiles is an example of: A. Homologous traits B. Analogous traits C. Adaptive radiation D. Genetic drift Part B: A trait matrix for the amniotes is below. Using the trait matrix, match the taxa to the letters at the branch tips. (see attached image) Using the image, match the taxa to the letters at the branch tips 1. Chicken 2. Kangaroo 3. Viviparity 4. Placenta Part C: In which location(s) did each trait evolve on the phylogeny? If more than one location…
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Many animals have the p53 gene that makes a protein that regulates the cell cycle and helps prevent the formation of cancer cells. The table below shows the percentage of p53 gene sequences that the 4 species have when compared to humans. Species Percentage of p53 Gene Sequence Similar to Human Human 100 Horse 60.7 Fruit Fly 15.5 Rat 76.8 Pig 81.3 Which organism in the table is most closely related to humans based on this data? pig horse fruit fly rat 0 0 0 0
Steven Frank and Laurence Hurst argued that a cytoplasmically inherited mutation in humans that has severe effects in males but no effect in females will not be eliminated from a population by natural selection because only females pass on mtDNA (S. A. Frank and L. D. Hurst. 1996. Nature 383:224). Using this argument, explain why males with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy are more severely affected than females.