Why is this wrong
Mutations are random changes that occur in the DNA sequence of an organism. These changes
can be beneficial, harmful, or have no effect on the organism's fitness. Selection, on the other
hand, is a process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population based on
their impact on an organism's survival and reproduction. It is known that mutations are not a direct
consequence of selection because mutations occur randomly, whereas selection acts on pre-
existing variation in a population. That is, selection can only act on traits that already exist in a
population, and cannot directly create new traits. One famous experiment that provided evidence
for this concept is the "Luria-Delbrck experiment." In this experiment, the researchers studied the
occurrence of mutations in E. coli bacteria that were exposed to a bacteriophage (a virus that
infects bacteria). The experiment was designed to distinguish between two possible mechanisms
for the appearance of antibiotic resistance in the bacteria: The mutations that confer antibiotic
resistance arise as a direct response to exposure to the antibiotic. The mutations that confer
antibiotic resistance are present in the bacterial population before exposure to the antibiotic and
are then selected for by the antibiotic. The results of the experiment showed that the mutations
were present in the bacterial population before exposure to the antibiotic. This was demonstrated
by the fact that the frequency of antibiotic-resistant mutants in a population was much higher than
what would be expected if the mutations were a direct response to exposure to the antibiotic. This
observation provided strong evidence for the idea that mutations are not a direct consequence of
selection, but rather occur randomly and are then subject to selection based on their impact on
fitness..
Why is this wrong Mutations are random changes that occur in.pdf
1. Why is this wrong
Mutations are random changes that occur in the DNA sequence of an organism. These changes
can be beneficial, harmful, or have no effect on the organism's fitness. Selection, on the other
hand, is a process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population based on
their impact on an organism's survival and reproduction. It is known that mutations are not a direct
consequence of selection because mutations occur randomly, whereas selection acts on pre-
existing variation in a population. That is, selection can only act on traits that already exist in a
population, and cannot directly create new traits. One famous experiment that provided evidence
for this concept is the "Luria-Delbrck experiment." In this experiment, the researchers studied the
occurrence of mutations in E. coli bacteria that were exposed to a bacteriophage (a virus that
infects bacteria). The experiment was designed to distinguish between two possible mechanisms
for the appearance of antibiotic resistance in the bacteria: The mutations that confer antibiotic
resistance arise as a direct response to exposure to the antibiotic. The mutations that confer
antibiotic resistance are present in the bacterial population before exposure to the antibiotic and
are then selected for by the antibiotic. The results of the experiment showed that the mutations
were present in the bacterial population before exposure to the antibiotic. This was demonstrated
by the fact that the frequency of antibiotic-resistant mutants in a population was much higher than
what would be expected if the mutations were a direct response to exposure to the antibiotic. This
observation provided strong evidence for the idea that mutations are not a direct consequence of
selection, but rather occur randomly and are then subject to selection based on their impact on
fitness.
