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- Variant identification and analysis
- Types of genetic variation studies
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Variation in prokaryotes
In this course we focus on variation in humans who are sexually reproducing diploid eukaryotes, but it is important to realise that there are several significant differences that must be considered if you are working on prokaryotes.
- Prokaryotes tend to have haploid genomes, meaning that they only have one copy of each gene per individual. This affects the effective population size by comparison with a diploid species, where there are effectively twice the number of potential genetic variants for the same number of individuals.
- Prokaryotes reproduce clonally (i.e. by making an exact copy of the cell), so recombination does not occur as a matter of course at every generation. Prokaryotes can also exchange genetic material laterally via transformation, conjugation and transduction.
- Prokaryotes typically reproduce much more rapidly than eukaryotes, and these short generation times can lead to more rapid adaptation. This is why scientists are able to use certain prokaryotes to study evolution in the lab.