HOW IMPORTANT ARE MUTATIONS FOR LIVING THINGS? - BIOLOGY - 2025

The importance of mutations for living things is one of the most studied fields of biology and the science of evolution. It is one of the fundamental processes by which species develop and are capable of adapting to new environments.

Mutations are also the fundamental method by which the great diversity of species that we can observe right now was developed over time. They occur when a change occurs in the DNA of an individual.

When the DNA of an organism changes randomly, the mutations that occur can be harmful, but also provide an advantage to that individual. These advantageous mutations accumulate and are passed on to the next generation, advancing the species.

What are mutations important for?

Mutations in living organisms have many functions, but in this article we will talk about the five most important.

1- They are the only way in which asexual species adapt to the environment

Some species, instead of mixing the DNA of a male with that of a female, simply create exact copies of themselves when they want to reproduce.

This means that if there is any change in their environment, all members of that species will react the same to it.

However, sometimes "errors" occur in the copying of these living beings. These mutations can be detrimental to the young, but sometimes they give them the opportunity to adapt better to the environment than other members of their species.

2- They generate new species

When life first emerged on Earth, all living things belonged to a single species, probably some type of bacteria.

However, through a series of mutations that accumulated, little by little the different species that we know today were emerging.

That is why humans share DNA to a large extent with the rest of the world's animal species; because we started out having the same, and only mutations have made us different.

3- They give an advantage to sexual species

While in asexual species a living being can produce exact copies of itself, in sexual species two different individuals have to put their DNA together in order to have a young.

Although this may seem like a disadvantage at first, thanks to mutations most of the planet's species have sexual reproduction.

When an advantageous mutation occurs in one offspring, it can be passed on to the next generation and shared with the offspring of other individuals.

4- They allow the appearance of more complex species

While at the beginning of time all cells had the same function, our body is made up of millions of different cells specialized in a specific task.

This specialization was possible thanks to the mutations that the cells suffered, which allowed them to adapt correctly to a specific type of function.

5- They give advantages to species when it comes to survival

Although not all mutations are advantageous, those that are advantageous mean that the individual who suffers from it will be better adapted to their environment than their peers.

This means that it will be able to get food more easily, or reproduce more easily, withstand the weather better…

Mutations are, therefore, one of the main mechanisms of evolution, and a fundamental process without which the species we know today could not exist.

References

1. "How important are mutations for living things?" in: Club Essays. Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Club Ensayos: clubensayos.com.
2. "DNA and mutations" in: Understanding Evolution. Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Understanding Evolution: evolution.berkeley.edu.
3. "Mutation and Evolution" in: Biology Pages. Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Biology Pages: biology-pages.info.
4. "Importance of mutations" in: Importance. Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Importance: importa.org.
5. "Mutation and variation" at: Brown University Online. Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Brown University Online: biomed.brown.edu.