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In ecology, functional equivalence (or functional redundancy) is the ecological phenomenon that multiple species representing a variety of taxonomic groups can share similar, if not identical, roles in ecosystem functionality (e.g., nitrogen fixers, algae scrapers, scavengers). [1] This phenomenon can apply to both plant and animal taxa.
Relatively high diversity levels are still observed despite the use of enrichment steps when working from environmental samples, [18] likely due to the high functional redundancy observed in environmental microbial communities, being a key asset of their functional stability.
The optimal paths for the fastest can be found using the Wencell-Freidlin functional in the Large-deviation theory. These paths correspond to the short-time asymptotics of the diffusion equation from a source to a target. In general, the exact solution is hard to find, especially for a space containing various distribution of obstacles.
Examples of degeneracy are found in the genetic code, when many different nucleotide sequences encode the same polypeptide; in protein folding, when different polypeptides fold to be structurally and functionally equivalent; in protein functions, when overlapping binding functions and similar catalytic specificities are observed; in metabolism, when multiple, parallel biosynthetic and ...
In this case, the redundant part of the gene remains in the genome due to the proximity to the area that codes for the unique function. [17] The reason redundant genes remain in the genome is an ongoing question and gene redundancy is being studied by researchers everywhere. There are many hypotheses in addition to the backup and piggyback models.
An operational taxonomic unit (OTU) is an operational definition used to classify groups of closely related individuals.The term was originally introduced in 1963 by Robert R. Sokal and Peter H. A. Sneath in the context of numerical taxonomy, where an "operational taxonomic unit" is simply the group of organisms currently being studied. [1]
The restriction modification system (RM system) is found in bacteria and archaea, and provides a defense against foreign DNA, such as that borne by bacteriophages.. Bacteria have restriction enzymes, also called restriction endonucleases, which cleave double-stranded DNA at specific points into fragments, which are then degraded further by other endonucleases.
Genetic redundancy is a term typically used to describe situations where a given biochemical function is redundantly encoded by two or more genes. In these cases, mutations (or defects) in one of these genes will have a smaller effect on the fitness of the organism than expected from the genes’ function.