Conservation is a high degree of similarity in the primary or higher structure of homologous proteins amongst various phyla. This is seen as an indication of its importance in cellular function or survival: any mutation in a highly conserved region would automatically lead to a non-viable form, which would be eliminated through natural selection. A protein primary structure is a chain of amino acids. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Phylum (plural: phyla) is a taxon used in the classification of animals, adopted from the Greek phylai the clan-based voting groups in Greek city-states. ... In biology, mutations are permanent, sometimes transmissible (if the change is to a germ cell) changes to the genetic material (usually DNA or RNA) of a cell. ... Natural selection is the process by which biological individuals that are endowed with favorable or deleterious traits end up reproducing more or less than other individuals that do not possess such traits. ...