cboake at utk.edu wrote:
> Please be aware that mutation is not evolution. Mutation provides the
> ultimate raw material upon which natural selection can act.
>> __Evolution requires both natural selection and genetic variation.__
Evolution is any change in a gene pool. Natural selection is one
of the mechanisms of evolution, but evolution can occur in it's
absense. For example, a population can evolve via genetic drift.
Mutation is also a mechanism of evolution. It changes allele
frequencies slightly. In addition (as you mention) it supplies
genetic variation to the gene pool that other mechanisms, such
as selection, can act on.
> Cheers,
> Chris Boake
Chris Colby
