C4. Classification Using DNA or Proteins Flashcards
How are gene technologies used to assess genetic diversity?
Early estimates of genetic diversity were made by looking at the frequency of measurable or observable ____________in a population, e.g. the number of different eye colours in a population and the number of people with each particular eye colour.
Since different _______determine different characteristics a wide variety of each characteristic in a population indicates a high number of different alleles - and so a high _________ ________. However gene technologies have now been developed that allow us to measure genetic diversity directly:
-Examples-
- Different alleles of the same gene will have slightly different ____ _____ ___________. Comparing the DNA base sequences of the same gene in different organisms in a population allows scientists to find out how many alleles of that gene there are in that population.
-Different alleles will also produce slightly different _____ _____ ___________, and may produce proteins with slightly different _______ ____ ____________, so these can also be compared.
These new technologies can be used to give more accurate estimates of genetic diversity within a population (or species) than can be made just by looking at the _____________of observable characteristics. They also allow the genetic diversity of different species to be compared more easily.
How are gene technologies used to assess genetic diversity?
Early estimates of genetic diversity were made by looking at the frequency of measurable or observable characteristics in a population, e.g. the number of different eye colours in a population and the number of people with each particular eye colour.
Since different alleles determine different characteristics a wide variety of each characteristic in a population indicates a high number of different alleles - and so a high genetic diversity. However gene technologies have now been developed that allow us to measure genetic diversity directly:
-Examples-
- Different alleles of the same gene will have slightly different DNA base sequences. Comparing the DNA base sequences of the same gene in different organisms in a population allows scientists to find out how many alleles of that gene there are in that population.
-Different alleles will also produce slightly different mRNA base sequences, and may produce proteins with slightly different amino acid sequences, so these can also be compared.
These new technologies can be used to give more accurate estimates of genetic diversity within a population (or species) than can be made just by looking at the frequency of observable characteristics. They also allow the genetic diversity of different species to be compared more easily.
