Table of Contents
How do you think gene duplication can lead to new and beneficial traits in a species?
Gene duplication can provide new genetic material for mutation, drift and selection to act upon, the result of which is specialized or new gene functions. Without gene duplication the plasticity of a genome or species in adapting to changing environments would be severely limited.
How can gene duplication create families of genes?
Genes duplicate over evolutionary times. As they duplicate this can lead to families of related genes. Since they come from the same progenitor gene, they often have related biochemical functions. Gene families can expand and contract over evolutionary time scales.
What is beneficial mutation in biology?
Some mutations have a positive effect on the organism in which they occur. They are called beneficial mutations. They lead to new versions of proteins that help organisms adapt to changes in their environment. Beneficial mutations are essential for evolution to occur.
How do organisms develop beneficial mutations?
Mutations are essential for evolution to occur because they increase genetic variation and the potential for individuals to differ. The majority of mutations are neutral in their effects on the organisms in which they occur. Beneficial mutations may become more common through natural selection.
How can gene duplication lead to the formation of a gene with a different function?
Gene duplication happens when an extra copy of a gene is made in an organism’s genome. In some cases, the duplication leads to the gain of a new function, but in other cases, protein function is lost, as shown in Figure 1. The various types of keratin in the body are the result of duplications of a single gene.
What is gene duplication and explain?
Duplication Duplication is a type of mutation that involves the production of one or more copies of a gene or region of a chromosome. Gene and chromosome duplications occur in all organisms, though they are especially prominent among plants. Gene duplication is an important mechanism by which evolution occurs.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of gene duplication?
In some cases, the duplication leads to the gain of a new function, but in other cases, protein function is lost, as shown in Figure 1. Sometimes, gene duplication is beneficial to the organism and may eventually lead to the development of a new species.
Is gene duplication the main force driving evolution?
Regardless of how the first gene came into being, it is taught in textbooks that gene duplication is the major force driving evolution. Gene duplications do indeed add extra material to the genome, for example, by aberrations in the division of chromosomes during mitosis or meiosis, or by erroneous DNA replication.
What happens during RNA-based gene duplication?
We will then discuss RNA-based gene duplication, which happens when an mRNA is turned back into DNA and then reinserted into the genome. Crossing-over takes place during the first half of meiosis when all of the chromosomes are lined up at the center of the cell during metaphase I.
What is the relationship between genetic drift and evolution?
What this shows is that greater genomic complexity – having more genes – can evolve as a result of genetic drift, as well as by natural selection. Once organisms have acquired extra genes, of course, there is more chance of those genes acquiring new beneficial new functions that will be selected for.