See Figure 7-26. Mutations may be somatic or germinal in nature. We are most concerned about germinal mutations because they are passed from generation to generation. Somatic mutations may affect inheritance in plants when they occur in branches that give rise to flowers that become part of the reproductive system of the organism. They also can be important for asexual species.
Most mutations are recessive.
They can only be recognized if they do not coexist with a dominant form in a diploid individual. Therefore, to recognize that a mutation has been induced in a subject often that subject is test crossed. This type of mutation detection is called a specific-locus test . A mutation from wild type to mutant form is referred to as a forward mutation . A conditional mutant allele causes the mutant phenotype only in a certain environment, called the restrictive condition .