What is the effect of a mutation on DNA?

The correct choice highlights that a mutation results in a change that affects genetic information. Mutations can occur in the sequence of nucleotides in DNA, leading to alterations in genes. These changes can result in different traits being expressed, which may affect an organism's phenotype.

Mutations are an essential aspect of evolution and genetic diversity, as they introduce new genetic variations into a population. While some mutations may be neutral or even beneficial, leading to advantageous traits, others might be detrimental. By focusing on the broad characteristic of mutations, this answer accurately reflects their fundamental role in genetics, acknowledging that the resultant changes to genetic information can have various implications for an organism's biology and inheritance.

This understanding is important as it underscores the complexity of how genetic information is structured and can be altered, impacting not just the individual organism but also the evolutionary trajectory of species over time.