Which of the following is NOT considered a primary mechanism driving evolution?
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Correct answer: Somatic cell mutation
Somatic cell mutations affect only the individual and are not heritable in a population; evolution requires heritable changes in allele frequencies — mechanisms are mutation (in gametes), natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow.
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More Evolution and speciation questions
- What effect does genetic drift most strongly have on a population?
- What is the consequence of gene flow between two previously isolated populations?
- Which condition must be met for populations to undergo speciation?
- What is the most common mode of speciation observed in nature, especially when populations are geographically separated?
- In allopatric speciation, which force tends to contribute most to genetic divergence between the geographically separated populations?
- Which scenario best illustrates peripatric speciation?