Chemotaxonomy

Chemotaxonomy as the method of biological classification based on similarities in the structure of certain compounds among the organisms being classified. As the proteins are more closely controlled by genes and less subjected to natural selection than the anatomical features, they are more reliable indicators of genetic relationships. The compounds studied most are proteins, amino acids, nucleic acids, peptides etc. Chemotaxonomy deals with comparative phytochemistry of plants, in particular their role as a taxonomic tool.