What mechanisms contribute to the generation of genetic variation seen in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

Question

What mechanisms contribute to the generation of genetic variation seen in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

Answer 1

Mutations

Answer 2

Mutations are ultimately the source of new alleles, it's true, but there are more processes at work than just that; for example:

gene duplications

immigration (gene flow)

s*x/recombination

also introduce genetic variation into populations.

Read more here: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/ev...

and

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/biology/evol...

Answer 3

Natural selection and mutations do, but in monera, conjugation also does. It is when one bacteria transfers DNA to another. There is also transformation, where bacteria incorporate "floating" DNA from the environment. Finally, there is transduction, when a bacteria receives DNA from a virus. Conjugation, transformation, and transduction are unique to bacteria.