Which type of mutation involves changes in genes that determine body part development in organisms?

Homeotic mutations specifically refer to changes in genes that control the development of body structures in an organism. These mutations can lead to incorrect placement or formation of body parts. For example, in fruit flies, a homeotic mutation can result in a segment of the body developing structures typical of another segment, such as legs forming where antennae should be. This type of mutation affects developmental genes, particularly those involved in establishing the identity of segments during embryonic development.

In contrast, point mutations lead to a change in a single nucleotide and generally affect the coding sequences of genes, while frameshift mutations, which occur due to insertions or deletions of nucleotides, can disrupt the reading frame of a gene but do not specifically govern body part identity. Chromosomal mutations involve larger-scale alterations to the chromosome structure, such as duplications or deletions, which can affect many genes but are not specifically tied to the identity of body parts in the same direct manner as homeotic mutations.