Download you wanted to know about Mutation Rates but where afraid to ask in

Mutation rates can be measured in various ways.
Example: 2 x 10-6 mutations per locus per cell division in Drosophila
about 25 cell divisions between zygote and gamete production
therefore 50 x 10-6 mutations per locus per generation --> 10-5
(25 x 2 x 10-6 = 5 x 10-5)
Typical mutation rates:
Bacteriophage: 10-9 to 10-8 /locus/replication
Bacteria: 10-10 to 10-6 /locus/cell division mostly . 10-6
10-4 to 10-3 /genome/cell division
Neurospora: 10-8 /locus/cell division
Corn: 10-6 to 10-4 /locus/generation
Drosophila 10-6 to 10-4 /locus/generation
10-3 to 10-1 /chromosome/generation
Mice 10-6 to 10-5 /locus/generation
Humans 10-5 to 10-6 /locus/generation
1 /zygote/generation
Primates 1 /zygote/generation
The apparently smaller rates in bacteria and bacteriophage
may result from smaller genome size and detection problems.
General observations:
If a gene has 1000 nucleotides and the average mutation rate is 10-6 per gene,
then the mutation rate per nucleotide is 10-9 /nucleotide/generation
(10-6 distributed among103 nucleotides or 10-6 / 103 per nucleotide )
--low because of proofreading mechanisms and repair mechanisms
If an organism has 105 genes, then the mutation rate per organism is very
high.
Given many organisms/population, the mutation rate per population is even
higher, and in fact may be 1.0 in most cases.
John Endler, EEMB 130