Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Measuring Microbial Mutation Rates with the Fluctuation Assay
Published on: November 28, 2019
Genomic background and generation time influence deleterious mutation rates in Daphnia
Leigh C Latta1, Kendall K Morgan, Casse S Weaver
1Department of Biology, Reed College, Portland, OR 97202, USA. llatta@reed.edu
Abstract:
Understanding how genetic variation is generated and how selection shapes mutation rates over evolutionary time requires knowledge of the factors influencing mutation and its effects on quantitative traits. We explore the impact of two factors, genomic background and generation time, on deleterious mutation in Daphnia pulicaria, a cyclically parthenogenic aquatic microcrustacean, using parallel mutation-accumulation experiments. The deleterious mutational properties of life-history characters for individuals from two different populations, and for individuals maintained at two different generation times, were quantified and compared. Mutational properties varied between populations, especially for clutch size, suggesting that genomic background influences mutational properties for some characters. Generation time was found to have a greater effect on mutational properties, with higher per-generation deleterious mutation rates in lines with longer generation times. These results suggest that differences in genetic architecture among populations and species may be explained in part by demographic features that significantly influence generation time and therefore the rate of mutation.
Related Concept Videos
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
Mutations in Microorganisms
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

