Metagenomics Aims to Learn About the Diversity of Organisms, Particularly

question 51

Multiple Choice

Metagenomics aims to learn about the diversity of organisms, particularly microbes that inhabit natural environments. J. Craig Venter, a key figure in the race to obtain the human genome sequence, and his colleagues pioneered this approach in a study that analyzed DNA obtained from microbes collected from the Sargasso Sea, an intensively studied, nutrient-impoverished part of the Caribbean lying to the southeast of Bermuda. (C. J. Venter, K. Remington, J. F. Heidelberg, A. L. Halpern, D. Rusch, J. A. Eisen, D. Wu, I. Paulsen, K. E. Nelson, W. Nelson, D. E. Fouts, S. Levy, A. H. Knap, M. W. Lomas, K. Nealson, O. White, J. Peterson, J. Hoffman, R. Parsons, H. Baden-Tillson, C. Pfannkock, Y.-H. Rogers, and H. O. Smith. 2004. Environmental genome shotgun sequencing of the Sargasso Sea. Science 304:66-74.)
-Refer to the paragraph on the Venter et al. paper and the accompanying table. What practical applications for human society may arise first from this or similar metagenomic studies?

• A) New genes with useful properties may be identified and ultimately put to use.
• B) New microbial species could be isolated from seawater.
• C) An increased knowledge of the diversity of marine ecosystems could lead to investigations of diversity in other ecosystems.
• D) Species discovered in the Sargasso Sea may also be found to inhabit less-remote waters.

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Definitions:

Ronald Reagan

The 40th President of the United States, known for his economic policies known as Reaganomics, which focused on tax cuts, deregulation, and increased defense spending.

Marginal Tax Rate

Refers to the rate at which the next dollar of taxable income is taxed.

Tax Cuts

Reductions in the amount of taxes that individuals or corporations must pay to the government.

Proportional

Proportional describes a relationship or ratio that maintains the same relative size or aspect between items or variables.