Question

-Explain how DNA sequencing can be used to identify organisms and place them into phylogenetic trees or "trees of life".

-Why would whole genome sequencing be better than sequencing parts of the bird genomes?

-Besides humans, what group of animals would you recommend sequencing next and why? Justify your answer with some reasons.

Answer 1

Ans.

1-Using DNA sequencing one can identify the organism and place it in phylogenetic tree by aligning the sequence to the known genomes.

By calculating the sequence similarity and differences after aligning the unknown organisms genome to known genomes one can infer how close and how different the organism is to the known genomes. and accordingly the organism can be placed in the phylogenetic tree.

2- whole genome sequencing is better than sequencing parts of genome as it provided a complete picture of the genome. Complete picture of the genome in terms of DNA sequence is much more effective in understanding the uniqueness and similarities of that particular species to other species.

Also, with the recent advancements in sequencing and genomic studies, it is now clear that most of the DNA of an organism is transcribed and has a function, which was earlier thought to be junk DNA. Hence whole genoge sequencing would be better to understand an organism.

3- I would recommend the animals with unique properties which help them to survive better to be sequenced next. For example, elephants despite their huge size are known to be cancer free. Sequencing genomes of such organisms would provide an insight into the genomic features which are associated with such unique properties and help us design newer strategies for betterment of humankind.