Question

Why is mitochondrial DNA an appropriate choice of molecular tools?

Why is mitochondrial DNA an appropriate choice of molecular tools?

Homework Answers

Answer #1

Mitochondrial DNA offers several benefits over nuclear DNA when determining phylogenetic pathways, including Maternal inheritance – mtDNA is inherited from the mother only, providing a much more direct genetic lineage.Mitochondrial DNA is highly variable in natural populations because of its elevated mutation rate, which can generate some signal about population history over short time frames. Mitochondrial DNA has a number of specific biological properties, which should make it an appropriate marker of molecular biodiversity.

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