15.3 Comparative Genomics Studies How Genomes Evolve

Genome sequencing projects provide detailed information about gene content and organization in different species and even in different members of the same species, allowing inferences about how genes function and how genomes evolve. They also provide important information about evolutionary relationships among organisms and about factors that influence the speed and direction of evolution. Comparative genomics is the field of genomics that studies similarities and differences in gene content, function, and organization among genomes of different organisms.