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Comparing Primate Proteins
Chapter 13: Classification

Comparisons of amino acid sequences can help determine the evolutionary relationships of living species. These data reveal degrees of relatedness between organisms, and can be used to generate phylogenetic trees. You, too can use biochemical data to construct a phylogenetic tree if you…


Try This

  1. For each primate, use the table to count the number of amino acids that are different from the human sequence.

    Amino Acid Sequences in Primates
    Baboon Phe Thr Thr Gly Asp Glu Val Asp Asp Ser Pro Gly Gly Phe Phe
    Chimp Ser Thr Ala Gly Asp Glu Val Glu Asp Thr Pro Gly Gly Ala Phe
    Lemur Ala Thr Ser Gly Glu Lys Val Glu Asp Ser Pro Gly Ser His Phe
    Gorilla Ser Thr Ala Gly Asp Glu Val Glu Asp Thr Pro Gly Gly Ala Phe
    Human Ser Thr Ala Gly Asp Glu Val Glu Asp Thr Pro Gly Gly Ala Phe

  2. Calculate the percentage differences by dividing the numbers by 15 and multiplying by 100.
  3. Use your results to sketch a phylogenetic tree.


Analyze Your Results

  1. Which primates are the most closely related to humans?
  2. Which primate is the least closely related to humans?
  3. What other evidence has been used to construct phylogenetic trees?


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