Which statement is true about neutral mutation

Question

Which statement is true about neutral mutation

Genetic unit test

Answer 1

A neutral mutation is a type of genetic mutation that does not affect the function of the protein that is produced by the gene. Therefore, the statement that is true about neutral mutation is that it does not have a significant impact on the organism's phenotype or fitness. Neutral mutations can accumulate over time and can be used to study the evolutionary history of a species.

Answer 2

To determine which statement is true about neutral mutation, we need to understand what neutral mutation is and then evaluate the given options.

Neutral mutation refers to a genetic mutation that does not have a significant effect on an organism's phenotype or fitness. In other words, it is a type of mutation that occurs in the DNA sequence but does not alter the function or structure of the resulting protein, or it occurs in non-coding regions of the genome that do not have a direct impact on gene expression.

Now let's evaluate the options provided in the context of neutral mutation:

1. Neutral mutations are always harmful.
2. Neutral mutations have no effect on an organism's fitness.
3. Neutral mutations always lead to observable changes in the organism.
4. Neutral mutations only occur in coding regions of the genome.

Based on our understanding of neutral mutation, we can eliminate options 1, 3, and 4.

Option 1 is incorrect because neutral mutations are not always harmful. They may not have any effect on an organism's fitness.

Option 3 is incorrect because neutral mutations do not always lead to observable changes in the organism. Since they do not alter the phenotype, they may not be noticeable.

Option 4 is incorrect because neutral mutations can also occur in non-coding regions of the genome, not just in coding regions.

Option 2 remains as the most appropriate statement about neutral mutation. Neutral mutations have no significant effect on an organism's fitness, meaning they neither enhance nor hinder the organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Therefore, the true statement about neutral mutation is that neutral mutations have no effect on an organism's fitness.

Answer 3

Neutral mutation is a type of genetic mutation that does not significantly affect the organism's phenotype or survival. It means that the mutation does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to the individual, and therefore it is often considered to be inconsequential in terms of natural selection. This type of mutation can occur in different parts of the DNA sequence, such as introns or silent codons, where the mutation does not change the amino acid sequence of a protein. Thus, the correct statement about neutral mutations is that they do not have a significant impact on the organism's phenotype or fitness.