Question

How do beneficial mutations in DNA contribute to evolutionary change in populations over time?
Question 14 options:

Beneficial mutations are passed directly from parents to offspring without variation

Beneficial mutations only occur when environmental conditions become challenging

Beneficial mutations increase survival, become more common through natural selection

Beneficial mutations immediately spread to all individuals in the population

Answer 1

Correct answer: "Beneficial mutations increase survival, become more common through natural selection."

Explanation: Mutations arise randomly. If a mutation improves an organism's fitness, carriers are more likely to survive and reproduce, so the beneficial allele's frequency rises over generations by natural selection. It does not spread instantly to all individuals and does not only occur in response to challenging environments.