Genomicsis the large-scale study of groups of genes. These groups can be all the genes of an organism, or multiple organisms. The full complementof genetic material in an organism is called its genome. Therefore, genomicsinvolves studies that are conducted at the level of the genome.
Thefield of genomics can be subdivided into a number of areas. For instance,comparative genomics involves comparing the genomes of different organisms.Comparative genomics can be used to define important structural sequences thatare identical in many genomes and to detect evolutionary changes acrossgenomes. Structural genomics involves the physical nature of genomes andincludes the sequencing and mapping of genomes. Functional genomics involvesstudying the expression and function of the genome. Genomics can also involvethe investigation of interactions between genes and between genes and theenvironment.