A structural change in the alpha-factor of Saccharomyces (a type of yeast) is shown to render the molecule defective. What effect would this mutation have on the reproductive behavior for this yeast cell species? Justify your claim by discussing cell signaling and response events.

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a powerful model organism ... Haploid yeast cells can be one of two mating types: MATa (a cell) or MATα (α cell). ... a replication signal, transformed DNA integrates readily into the yeast genome ... Such cells would have acquired one or more spontaneous mutations at some particles...

Explanation:

relative dating involves things like higher layers are most recent than rocks lower in the sequence. this can be extended to the known sequence of fossils. rocks containing rabbit fossils are later than those containing dinosaur fossils.  

absolute dating methods mainly use radioactive elements that have known rates of decay and produce recognizable products. for example potassium 40 decays to produce argon. once a rock has solidified the argon is trapped. by measuring the argon and potassium0 you can get an accurate number for the age.  

some other methods are good for archaeological ages. dendrochronology involves recognizing the sequence of tree rings. the orientation of magnetized particles in baked clay can be used to date a fire.

hope this .. .

the fossil record provides evidence of a common ancestor to many species.