Module 4

 Mutation Rates-

    In my opinion, mutation rates do evolve. When thinking about individuals within species, darwin's postulates states that some variations within a species are heritable and that the individuals with the most favorable variations reproduce the most. Because of this, it can be inferred that some variations may be needed sooner than others if the species is trying to live on. In this case, the mutation rates would be faster and would take effect in a large population faster if the individuals in a species without the favorable trait die out and leave only the ones with the trait. In this case, the mutation would evolve to be faster than it originally would have, to ensure the survival of the species. Mutations happen all the time well, they are just usually fixed by something that is looking for mutations in new proteins or DNA. If a mutation occurred on a gene that is coded to fix mutations, that would increase the mutation rate exponentially, since the mutations wouldn't be able to be fixed. This is usually a bad thing though, and I've learned in another class I'm taking this semester that that can and usually does lead to cancer. I envision random mutations as trying to fix something that isn't perfect but functions fine as it is already. If you take a car that has many moving parts and specific dimensions and alters a random dimension slightly, it would most likely lead to the car not working or do nothing to affect the car. Very few changes you could do would actually improve the car, but a lot of them can harm the production of the car. If you do random things to it, there is an even slighter chance of actually improving the car or an organism in the case of mutation in animals. While mutations to genes encoded to fix mutations might make the mutation rate evolve to a higher rate than expected for an individual, I would argue that it would not be a good thing. 

Comments

  1. Madison NOctober 3, 2021 at 9:25 AM

    Great insights, Ian! Do be careful when you say "some variations may be needed sooner than others". While the keen reader will understand you mean "higher mutation rates means more potential for beneficial mutations", it's easy to misinterpret as "mutation is nonrandom". Because you're right - random mutational change is frequently more neutral or detrimental than beneficial. And yet, we see high rates of mutation persist in some populations. Why might such a trait stick around, if the majority of mutations are neutral or detrimental?

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