Question

What might be the reason for the non-elimination of harmful mutations from the gene pool?

• A. 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 a small population

Answer 1

The correct option is B They are recessive and carried by heterozygous individuals

Mutations are changes in an organism's DNA and are considered to be an important driver of genetic diversity. The appearance of novel mutations can bring variance in both phenotype and genotype. Natural selection is the way by which a harmful gene gets eliminated from the population. Sometimes the harmful genes persist in the population because of their recessive nature and are always carried by heterozygous individuals. Heterozygous individuals overcome the harmful mutation due to the normal dominant allele, however they may pass on the mutation to some of their offspring.