Mutations Not Just for Superheroes

Where did the black fur trait come from?

• a random change to a gene for fur color called Mc1r

• the mice changed themselves in order to survive

• parent mice passed on helpful traits to their offspring

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How common are mutations for fur color among the rock pocket mice?

• Rare. But the population of mice is so large that they appear in every generation.

• Very rare. They only appear about once every 100 years.

• Very common. Most mice are born with strange fur colors.

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When would a mutation for black fur be ADAPTIVE?

• If the mouse is born into the golden desert environment

• If the mouse is born into the black lava environment

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What has caused the fur color traits of the rock pocket mice to change over time?

• Individual mice changed their traits in order to survive. 

• Mice with light fur color moved to golden desert and mice with dark fur color moved to black lava rock.

• Mice with that fur that matched their environment were more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on their genes to the next generation. 

• In order to survive, the mice passed on genes that allowed their offspring to blend into their environment.

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Which of the following is NOT a type of mutation?

• Insertion

• Deletion

• Substitution

• Photosynthesis

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A base pair substitution can result in all of the following except __________.

• Missense mutation

• Frameshift Mutation

• Silent Mutation

• Nonsense mutation

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What is a point mutation?

• A mutation affecting only one or very few nucleotides in a gene sequence.

• A mutation that results in the deletion of a segment of DNA.

• A mutation that involves the duplication of a large section of a chromosome.

• A mutation that causes a gene to be relocated to a different chromosome.

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What is a mutation?

• A type of candy

• A change in a DNA sequence

• A new type of animal

• A dance move

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While __________ is random, __________ is not.

• mutation; natural selection

• natural selection; mutation

• natural selection, variation

• variation, mutation

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SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Mutations can be...

• Harmful

• Beneficial

• Neutral

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