Why might the cricket genome have 11 times as many base pairs as that of Drosophila melanogaster?
A) Crickets have higher gene density.
B) Drosophila are more complex organisms.
C) Crickets must have more noncoding DNA.
D) Crickets must make many more proteins.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most likely reason for the difference in genome size between crickets and Drosophila melanogaster is that crickets have more noncoding DNA. This can include repetitive and transposable elements, as well as other regulatory regions that do not contain genes. While gene density could be a factor, it seems unlikely that it would account for such a dramatic difference in genome size. The complexity of the organisms is also a factor, but this is not necessarily related to genome size. Finally, the number of proteins produced by an organism is not directly related to its genome size, since many factors can influence protein production and function.

Why Might the Cricket Genome Have 11 Times as Many