Evidence for evolution - Comparative Biochemistry (genomics)

Question 1

What is comparative biochemistry?

Answer 1

Is the study of evolutionary relationships between organisms based on differences in genomics.

Question 2

What is comparative genomics?

Answer 2

Is the study and comparison of genome sequences of different species. It enables the identification of genes that are conserved or common among a species.

Question 3

What are 4 forms of comparative studies of biochemistry?

Answer 3

1. DNA
2. Mitochondrial DNA
3. Protein sequences
4. Ribosomal RNA

Question 4

Describe how comparative biochemistry provides evidence for evolution.

Answer 4

Involves large sequences of genetic sequences to be compared between different organisms. The fewer differences between the sequences mean the more closely related organisms are and the higher chance they shared a common ancestor.

Question 5

What is a phylogenetic tree?

Answer 5

• A tree diagram representing the evolutionary relationships between organisms
• The most recent decedents species are the tips of branches
• Shared ancestors are at the base of the tree
• Tree is constructed from DNA data