What is the relationship between DNA and evolution?

What is the relationship between DNA and evolution?

• A. DNA serves as the molecular basis for inheritance and evolution.
• B. DNA is unrelated to inheritance or evolution.
• C. DNA only influences the development of an organism.
• D. DNA stores energy for the cell rather than information.

Answer: (A)

DNA is the molecular basis for inheritance and evolution because it stores genetic information in its sequence of nucleotides, and this information is passed from parents to offspring through reproduction. Mutations, recombination, and gene duplications introduce variation in those sequences, providing the raw material on which natural selection and other evolutionary forces act. Over generations, changes in allele frequencies—driven by this heritable variation—lead to evolutionary change in populations. Development is influenced by DNA, but its essential role is in storing and transmitting heritable information, not storing cellular energy.

DNA is the molecular basis for inheritance and evolution because it stores genetic information in its sequence of nucleotides, and this information is passed from parents to offspring through reproduction. Mutations, recombination, and gene duplications introduce variation in those sequences, providing the raw material on which natural selection and other evolutionary forces act. Over generations, changes in allele frequencies—driven by this heritable variation—lead to evolutionary change in populations. Development is influenced by DNA, but its essential role is in storing and transmitting heritable information, not storing cellular energy.