Explain how the rapid reproduction of many prokaryotic organ

Explain how the rapid reproduction of many prokaryotic organisms contributes to genetic variations within the population.

Solution

the reproduction in prokaryotes is very fast, with a generation taking little more than a few minutes for some species. this rapidness leads to mutations. the DNA polymerases in prokaryotes are highly processive compared to eukaryotes, i.e, they add more nucleotides per minute compared eukaryotic polymerases. due to this rapid replication and division, there would be very less time to repair DNA. therefore, the mutations are higher in prokaryotes compared to eukaryotes. this contributes to genetic variation.