Genetic Topics Types of Mutations Morphological mutants affect the outward appearance of an individual. Plant height mutations could changes a tall plant to a short one, or from having smooth to round seeds.
Biochemical mutations have a lesion in one specific step of an enzymatic pathway.
For bacteria, biochemical mutants need to be grown on a media supplemented with a specific nutrient. Such mutants are called auxotrophs . Often though, morphological mutants are the direct result of a mutation in a biochemical pathway. In humans, albinism is the result of a mutation in the pathway from converts the amino acid tyrosine to the skin pigment melanin. Similarly, cretinism results when the tyrosine to thyroxine pathway is mutated.