O Level Biology 5 Views 1 Answers
State that mutation, meiosis, random mating and random fertilisation are sources of genetic variation in populations
State that mutation, meiosis, random mating and random fertilisation are sources of genetic variation in populations
Answer
Genetic variation in populations arises from several key processes, including:
- Mutation: Mutations are random changes in the DNA sequence that can introduce new alleles into a population. These changes can occur spontaneously or as a result of environmental factors, leading to variations in traits.
- Meiosis: During meiosis, the process of gamete formation involves independent assortment and crossing over. Independent assortment shuffles the alleles of different genes, while crossing over exchanges genetic material between homologous chromosomes, creating new combinations of alleles.
- Random Mating: In a population, individuals mate randomly rather than based on specific traits. This random mating ensures that a diverse range of alleles is combined in offspring, contributing to genetic diversity.
- Random Fertilisation: The process of fertilisation is also random, as any sperm can fertilise any egg. This randomness further increases the genetic variation among offspring by combining different alleles from both parents.
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