Biology Now, 2e

Does Bigger

Mean Better?

Lungfish

130,000 Mb

Red-Spotted Newt

39,100 Mb

Chicken

1,200 Mb

Human

3,200 Mb

Dog

2,400 Mb

White Spruce

23,600 Mb

= 100 megabases

A megabase (Mb) is a unit of length for DNA equal to

1 million base pairs of nucleotides.

Legend

Genome size is the total amount of DNA in one copy of an

organism’s genome, typically measured in millions of base

pairs (Mb). There is a huge range in genome sizes across

plants and animals, from living organisms of 150,000 Mb

to the E. coli genome of 4.6 Mb. Dogs and humans have

smaller genomes than many species, making them easier

to study genetically than, say, a lungfish.

Assessment available in

Does Bigger

Mean Better?

Lungfish

130,000 Mb

Red-Spotted Newt

39,100 Mb

Chicken

1,200 Mb

Human

3,200 Mb

Dog

2,400 Mb

White Spruce

23,600 Mb

= 100 megabases

A megabase (Mb) is a unit of length for DNA equal to

1 million base pairs of nucleotides.

Legend

Genome size is the total amount of DNA in one copy of an

organism’s genome, typically measured in millions of base

pairs (Mb). There is a huge range in genome sizes across

plants and animals, from living organisms of 150,000 Mb

to the E. coli genome of 4.6 Mb. Dogs and humans have

smaller genomes than many species, making them easier

to study genetically than, say, a lungfish.

Assessment available in