Question

Descibe how changes to genes can affect the traits of organisms.

Answer 1

Answer:

Please find the explanation below.

Explanation:

Changes in the genetic sequence of a DNA is called MUTATION. A gene is a segment of the DNA that holds information for the synthesis of proteins, which are responsible for the observable traits in organisms. The expression of a gene brings about the synthesis of a protein that effects a particular trait in an organism. The gene is expressed in two major stages viz: transcription and translation.

Transcription involves production of an mRNA molecule using the encoded information in the genes of a DNA while translation is the synthesis of a protein using the mRNA as a template.

Since, the order of the sequence in a gene determines the order of the sequence in the mRNA which ultimately determines the order of sequence in the protein, a change in the gene of an organism will affect the observed trait of that organism.

More detailedly, a change in the gene will cause a change in the mRNA sequence during transcription. A change in the mRNA sequence will cause a change in the amino acid sequence during translation. A change in the amino acid sequence will affect the protein produced i.e. might not be functional or may not be produced at all. An affected protein will cause a trait in that organism to be affected.