In: Biology
Which of the following statements about genetics is TRUE?
a. A mutation is any change in DNA that is harmful to an organism.
b. Genetic disorders are always caused by the inheritance of recessive alleles.
c. The red queen hypothesis proposes that asexual reproduction evolved in organisms to increase genetic variation, and therefore, improve resilience in ever-changing environments.
d. Natural selection acts directly on the phenotype and indirectly on the genotype.
Answer: Option D. Natural selection acts directly on phenotype and indirectly on the genotype.
Explanation:
The natural selection directly acts on the phenotype of organism. An organism with favorable phenotype will survive over the others and reproduce more leading to the change in the allele frequency over time in a population resulting in evolution. Evolution refers to the change in genotype. Therefore, natural selection acts on only phenotype directly but it indirectly influence the genotype.
Other options are not correct because:
Option a: Mutations are permanent nucleotide changes in the DNA but it is not always harmful to the organism. Silent mutations will not cause any harmful effects to the organism.
Option b: Genetic disorders are caused by the inheritance of recessive or dominant alleles.
Option c: The red queen hypothesis explains the advantages of genetic variations by sexual reproduction and not regarding the asexual reproduction.