Question

The authors constructed a phylogenetic tree using nucleotide substitutions as well as a tree built using indel information. What relationships did each support; do they agree completely with each other

Answer 1

Answer:

Both types of genetic data can be used to generate evolutionary trees, but indels increase phylogenetic resolution

Explanation:

Nucleotide substitutions, also known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are genetic changes at specific positions in the genome that can be used to compare two or more sequences through a local alignment. SNPs enable to estimate the evolutionary distances among sequences and they are the most common type of genetic variation used to draw phylogenetic trees. On the there hand, sequence insertions and deletions, collectively referred to as indels, can increase the resolution of an evolutionary tree because this type of variation is less frequent in the population (i..e., indels generally have higher deleterious effects than SNPs). However, it is important to note that, in the case of indels, it is imperative to include more complex alignment algorithms in order to analyze data derived from this type of genetic variation.