The original roots of dodder usually die. As a parasitic plant that cannot produce its own chlorophyll, it breaks away from its root system as the roots has no apparent root cap nor apical meristems. Hence the "root" is not performing its very function of water and nutrient uptake. It then produces haustoria, a root-shaped fungi which penetrates host plant which makes the dodder parasitic.
When a mutation has an effect that helps a species adapt to an environment, and specimens of both genders have it, it will end up taking over, causing evolution to gradually happen.
