I know that species have been classified on basis of reproduction , DNA similari
ID: 35974 • Letter: I
Question
I know that species have been classified on basis of reproduction , DNA similarity , niche, etc.
Has there been a classification based on locus of genes ? What are the drawbacks/shortcomings of classifying this way ?
Isn't it simple to classify on this basis as - a species can have variation at a locus but the position of that locus with respect to a chromosome is fixed in every individual of that species. This fact can eliminate the subjective criteria of DNA similarity.
But I think this isn't valid for bacteria as there is so much recombination going on.
Explanation / Answer
The position of a gene is not always fixed neither within nor between species. There are Copy Number Variation for example. A great part of the variation within humans is due to CNV. I agree that it is important to consider other genetic variations than only the alleles though. CNV, position of genes, regulatory sequences and other stuff are important too in the description and the functionality of a lineage.
The concept of species is a poor concept which is old as Aristotle and important in the christian culture but we have to accept that this concept is not a natural category. For french speaker people this podcast(Follow: Biodiversit
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