Question

Name two causes of genetic variation, and explain how they apply to the process of natural selection.

Answer 1

Mutations are changes in the DNA. A single mutation can have a large effect, but in many cases, evolutionary change is based on the accumulation of many mutations.

Answer 2

Gene flow is any movement of genes from one population to another and is an important source of genetic variation.

Answer 3

Sex can introduce new gene combinations into a population. This genetic shuffling is another important source of genetic variation.

Answer 4

Genetic shuffling is a source of variation.