Biology / Unit 8 Bio 1765 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Mutation as an Evolutionary Force, Population-Level
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The idea
At the population level, mutation is the ultimate source of every new allele, though any single event changes allele frequency only slightly.
In practice
A new mutation in one individual introduces one new allele copy into the population's gene pool for the first time.
Where people slip
Mutation supplies new alleles slowly — most frequency change still comes from selection, drift, or gene flow on existing variation.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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