▪ Abstract A decade of research on adaptive mutation has revealed a plethora of mutagenic
mechanisms that may be important in evolution. The DNA synthesis associated with …

Major advances in understanding the molecular mechanism of recombination-dependent
stationary-phase mutation in Escherichia coli occurred this past year. These advances are …

Three general conditions prescribe the analysis of mutation. As the sum of all ways fidelity
fails, mutation is more diverse and unpredictable than the processes it perturbs. Being …

Adaptive mutation is defined as a process that, during nonlethal selections, produces
mutations that relieve the selective pressure whether or not other, nonselected mutations are …

▪ Abstract Spontaneous mutations are derived from various sources, including errors made
during replication of undamaged template DNA, mutagenic nucleotide substrates, and …

A basic principle of genetics is that the likelihood that a particular mutation occurs is
independent of its phenotypic consequences. The concept of adaptive mutation seemed to …

Selection detects mutants but does not cause mutations. Contrary to this dictum, Cairns and
Foster plated a leaky lac mutant of Escherichia coli on lactose medium and saw revertant …

A widely accepted tenet of evolutionary biology is that spontaneous mutations occur
randomly with regard to their fitness effect. However, since the mutation rate varies along a …

Spontaneous mutation, selection, and isolation are key elements in biological evolution.
Molecular genetic approaches reveal a multitude of different mechanisms by which …

Microorganisms are exposed to constantly changing environmental conditions. In a growth‐
restricting environment (eg during starvation), mutants arise that are able to take over the …