Based on the table of average intron frequency given below, predict the relative order of genome size for these four eukaryotic organisms. $\begin{array}{lc}
\text { Organism } & \text { Average Intron Frequency } \
\hline \text { Cryptosporidium parvum } & 0 \
\text { Plasmodium falciparum } & 1 \
\text { Arabidopsis thaliana } & 5 \
\text { Homo sapiens } & 8
\end{array}$
A) Homo sapiens Arabidopsis thaliana Plasmodium falciparum Cryptosporidium parvum
B) Cryptosporidium parvum Plasmodium falciparum Arabidopsis thaliana Homo sapiens
C) Homo sapiens Cryptosporidium parvum Plasmodium falciparum Arabidopsis thaliana
D) Intron frequency cannot be used to predict genome size in eukaryotes.

Question

Based on the table of average intron frequency given below, predict the relative order of genome size for these four eukaryotic organisms. $\begin{array}{lc}
\text { Organism } & \text { Average Intron Frequency } \
\hline \text { Cryptosporidium parvum } & 0 \
\text { Plasmodium falciparum } & 1 \
\text { Arabidopsis thaliana } & 5 \
\text { Homo sapiens } & 8
\end{array}$
A) Homo sapiens > Arabidopsis thaliana > Plasmodium falciparum > Cryptosporidium parvum
B) Cryptosporidium parvum > Plasmodium falciparum > Arabidopsis thaliana > Homo sapiens
C) Homo sapiens > Cryptosporidium parvum > Plasmodium falciparum > Arabidopsis thaliana
D) Intron frequency cannot be used to predict genome size in eukaryotes.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Introns are non-coding sequences within genes that are removed during RNA processing. A higher average intron frequency generally indicates a larger genome size because it suggests more non-coding DNA. Therefore, the order from highest to lowest intron frequency (and thus largest to smallest predicted genome size) is Homo sapiens > Arabidopsis thaliana > Plasmodium falciparum > Cryptosporidium parvum.

Based on the Table of Average Intron Frequency Given Below