Question-
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind…
I didn't understand this part:
"because it is not subject to recombination, unlike nuclear DNA. Therefore the amount of mutations that have accumulated when two organisms last shared an ancestor will be preserved in each lineage."
If it suffers no recombination, how can there be changes (mutations)??
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind…
I didn't understand this part:
"because it is not subject to recombination, unlike nuclear DNA. Therefore the amount of mutations that have accumulated when two organisms last shared an ancestor will be preserved in each lineage."
If it suffers no recombination, how can there be changes (mutations)??
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Recombination and mutation are completely different things. Mutations are caused by errors during replication or by exposure to mutagens - chemicals or radiation that physically damage one or more nucleotides, turning them into something else. Recombination is the shuffling of chromosomes.
Normally, recombination can shuffle mutations around, separating them from each other. This makes it tricky to track their history. Since recombination doesn't happen in mtDNA, he's saying it's easier to track with in mitochondria.
Normally, recombination can shuffle mutations around, separating them from each other. This makes it tricky to track their history. Since recombination doesn't happen in mtDNA, he's saying it's easier to track with in mitochondria.