Question

The reason why some mutations which are harmful and yet do not get eliminated from gene pool is that

• A. They have future survival value.
• B. They are recessive and carried by heterozygous individuals.
• C. They are dominant and show up more frequently.
• D. Genetic drift occurs because of small population.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

They are recessive and carried by heterozygous individuals.

The harmful dominant mutations are expressed in both homozygous and heterozygous conditions and are eliminated by gene pool. Harmful mutations, that are not get eliminated from gene pool, are recessive and carried by heterozygous individuals. The carrier individual is not affected by presence of recessive mutation as they are not expressed in heterozygous conditions.