Answer
A deletion mutation oftentimes is more detrimental to an organism than a mere substitution mutation. When a base is deleted, the reading frame for the mRNA strand shifts over. This can cause different amino acids to be inserted after the mutation, thus resulting in a different protein that may not even work or an entirely different protein altogether. On the other hand, a substitution mutation does not cause a shift in the reading frame. In fact, a substitution may not affect the amino acid sequence because some codons with a single base substitution actually code for the same amino acid.
Work Step by Step
A deletion mutation oftentimes is more detrimental to an organism than a mere substitution mutation. When a base is deleted, the reading frame for the mRNA strand shifts over. This can cause different amino acids to be inserted after the mutation, thus resulting in a different protein that may not even work or an entirely different protein altogether. On the other hand, a substitution mutation does not cause a shift in the reading frame. In fact, a substitution may not affect the amino acid sequence because some codons with a single base substitution actually code for the same amino acid.
