Which statement about mutations is true?

Which statement about mutations is true?

• A. They always cause disease.
• B. They cannot affect phenotype.
• C. They can be neutral or beneficial.
• D. They occur only in germ cells.

Answer: (C)

Mutations are changes in the DNA sequence and can have a wide range of effects. They don’t always cause disease; many are neutral, having no noticeable impact on phenotype, especially if they occur in regions that don’t affect gene function or when they don’t change the amino acid sequence. Some mutations can even be beneficial, providing an advantage in a given environment and becoming more common through natural selection. While some mutations can be harmful, the key point is that outcomes vary widely, spanning neutral, deleterious, and beneficial effects. Mutations also occur in both germ cells and somatic cells, but inheritance comes from germline changes; the existence of somatic mutations doesn’t contradict the idea that many mutations are neutral or advantageous. So, mutations can be neutral or beneficial.

Mutations are changes in the DNA sequence and can have a wide range of effects. They don’t always cause disease; many are neutral, having no noticeable impact on phenotype, especially if they occur in regions that don’t affect gene function or when they don’t change the amino acid sequence. Some mutations can even be beneficial, providing an advantage in a given environment and becoming more common through natural selection. While some mutations can be harmful, the key point is that outcomes vary widely, spanning neutral, deleterious, and beneficial effects. Mutations also occur in both germ cells and somatic cells, but inheritance comes from germline changes; the existence of somatic mutations doesn’t contradict the idea that many mutations are neutral or advantageous. So, mutations can be neutral or beneficial.