Explain the Biochemical Approach in Taxonomy

Comparative biochemistry is being used increasingly in the systematic of animals, both for identification of organisms as well as for working out interrelationships between them. This is because sometimes it becomes impossible to distinguish between similar organisms using the above described methods. In such cases identification may be possible by comparing the chemical substances of the organisms.

In this approach the taxonomist studies the demonstrable differences and similarities in the biochemical compositions of the organisms to be identified. The taxonomist uses biochemical data in identification, by comparing the same class of compounds which perform the same function in different animal species. This comparison is done in terms both of the biochemical properties of the compounds as well as their distribution in different organs of the body.

The compounds studied in most of the cases are proteins, amino acids and peptides. As a result biochemical studies in the taxonomy are often referred to as 'protein taxonomy'.