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mutation rate, frequency and lifespan

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Compare and contrast mutation rate and mutation frequency. Describe the implications for organisms that have long life spans (e.g., humans) and short life spans (e.g., mice). Spontaneous mutation rates in humans are generally higher than in E. coli . Why?

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This solution provides a detailed description of the difference between mutation rate and mutation frequency, and discusses the implications of mutation rates for organisms that have differing lifespans.

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The mutation rate is the risk of a mutation occurring in an organism within one generation. In contrast, the mutation frequency is the frequency at which you can find individuals with a given mutation in a population. Mutation frequency is more widely used, as it is easier to measure, since all that is necessary is to count the number of affected individuals ...

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