Indels are
A)index deletions used to identify a species.
B)parsimonious trees.
C)transitions and transversions combined.
D)small deletions or insertions that produce gaps in sequence alignments.
E)the result of codon usage bias.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Indels refer to small insertions or deletions in DNA sequences that lead to gaps in sequence alignments. These gaps are important for identifying evolutionary relationships between species and for building phylogenetic trees. Therefore, option D is the correct choice. Option A is incorrect because index deletions are not a commonly used term in molecular biology. Option B refers to a method of inferring phylogenetic relationships and is not directly related to indels. Option C refers to different types of substitutions in nucleotide sequences, not indels. Option E refers to a phenomenon where certain codons are used more frequently than others, but is not related to indels.

Indels Are