I believe that as mutation agents, such as a variant of DNA polymerase or a DNA repair protein, lead to mutations that make individuals fit better in their environment, they will be passed on to the gene pool of the next generation. Therefore, these mutation agents will lead to the evolution of mutation rates, as they go through evolution mechanisms. I believe that high or low mutation rates are adaptative when they don't affect a population's fitness in their environment, which could happen through silent mutation where the phenotype would not be changed even though the genotype would.
Reference:
Lynch, M., Ackerman, M., Gout, J., Long, H., Sung, W., Thomas, W., & Foster, P. (2016, October 14). Genetic drift, selection and the evolution of the mutation rate. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.nature.com/articles/nrg.2016.104
I agree that mutation rates do evolve, but I never thought of a specific agent that is beneficial that causes mutations to be passed down to offspring. I think that is a very fair way that mutation rates can evolve, so thank you for providing me a different view point on this topic.
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