However, each population must be compared with each other population. This makes for twenty-one pairings, a formidable task even for the teacher. The strategy is to share the work. All pairing combinations are given in the student instructions. Basically students work in teams of four, each student counts differences for five pairings.
Teams compare results to check for accuracy.
Students will cut the DNA sequence pages into strips and paste the matching ends together to produce seven sequences. These can be easily manipulated for pair comparisons. The final activity will be to use the results from the pairings and compare the differences and use this information to develop a final phylogeny chart. The solutions are provided. The basic scheme to remember is that low numbers of base-pair differences imply closer evolutionary relationships.