BRAINCAKEMore Biochemical Relationships
DNA hybridisation is another biochemical method for comparing how closely related two species are. It measures how similar the DNA of the two species is overall.
The two strands of a DNA molecule are held together by hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs. Heating breaks these bonds and separates the strands; the more hydrogen bonds there are between matching bases, the more heat is needed.
The method:
1. DNA is extracted from both species and cut into fragments.
2. The DNA is heated so that it separates into single strands.
3. Single strands from the two species are mixed and cooled. Where the base sequences are complementary, strands from different species join to form hybrid DNA.
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More in Classification
- Identifying a Species
- DNA Barcode
- DNA Analysis and Proteomics
- New Evolutionary Models
- Biochemical Relationships
- Gel Electrophoresis
- Domains
- Kingdoms
All 19 lessons in Classification · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics