In a sequence of DNA taken from various species of snails, researchers have found that the rates of nonsynonymous substitutions and synonymous substitutions are roughly the same.What can we infer from this pattern?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the rates of nonsynonymous substitutions and synonymous substitutions are roughly the same, this indicates that most of the amino acid changes are neutral. This means that the changes do not affect the function of the protein, and therefore do not provide any selective disadvantage or advantage. Thus, the gene may not be subject to strong purifying or positive selection and cannot be used as a molecular clock. The rate of transversions versus transitions cannot be inferred from this pattern.

In a Sequence of DNA Taken from Various Species of Snails