GAMETIC VS. SOMATIC MUTATIONS

=Gametic vs. Somatic Mutations= [image:http://i.imgur.com/kdEjXTO.png] If a mutation occurs in a germ cell, any resulting gametes produced will also carry the mutation. If the affected gamete is involved in fertilisation, the resulting zygote will carry the mutation in all of its cells. However, if the mutation occurs in a somatic (body) cell during mitosis, then only a small portion of the individual will be affected. Tumours are cells that have undergone a somatic mutation and lost the ability to regulate their growth. [image:http://i.imgur.com/Orh4QUY.png?1] The yellow coloured part of this tulip petal is the result of a somatic mutation. Only a part of the organism is affected as not all the cells have inherited the mutation. This mutation most likely occurred during the flower's development in a single cell that grew and divided to form the now yellow part of the flower. ''Mutant Tulip'' - Photo By Dmccabe (Own work) [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.