Evolutionary Genetics John Maynard Smith

Evolutionary Genetics By John Maynard Smith

Summary

Second revised edition of Smith's text on evolution and population genetics, which now incorporates new research on game theory as well as a revised discussion of sex and host-parasite interactions and a new chapter on molecular genetics and the reconstruction of evolutionary history. Aimed at advanced undergraduates.

Evolutionary Genetics by John Maynard Smith

This textbook, aimed at advanced undergraduates, covers those aspects of genetics - molecular and population - needed to understand the mechanisms of evolution. It discusses the mechanisms of evolution as opposed to describing the techniques, molecular, biometric or cladistic whereby phlogenies can be constructed. It covers basic population and quantitative genetics; evolutionary game theory; evolution of behaviour; prokaryote evolution; evolution of the genomes; sex recombination, breeding systems and sexual selection; speciation and macroevolution. It applies the basic theory to topics such as social behaviour, molecular evolution, reiterated DNA and sex, which are the main subjects of current research in evolutionary biology. Each chapter contains a set of problems (with answers) and suggested computer projects. These are important because they combine population and molecular approaches to evolution, and show how population genetics can be applied to biological problems.

Part 1 Evolution by natural selection: Darwin's theory; evolution in vitro; Lamark, Weismann and the central dogma. Part 2 Models of populations: models of population growth; selection in an asexual population; the accuracy of replication; genetic drift in finite populations. Part 3 Evolution in diploid populations: gene frequencies and the Hardy-Weinberg ratio; the concept of fitness; the spread of a favourable gene. Part 4 The variability of natural populations: the evidence for genetic variability; mutation; the maintenance of variation. Part 5 Evolution at more than one locus: linkage disequilibrium; heterostyly in plants; mimicry in butterflies; linkage disequilibrium in natural populations; normalizing selection and linkage disequilibriums. Part 6 Quantitative genetics: nature and nurture; the additive genetic model; a more realistic model; experiments in artificial selection; quantitative variation and fitness; the maintenance of genetic variance for quantitative traits. Part 7 A model of phenotypic evolution: pairwise interactions; some extensions of the model; will a sexual population evolve to an ESS? Part 8 Finite and structured populations: inbreeding; genetic drift; the rate of neutral molecular evolution; mitochondrial DNA; migration and differentiation between populations; the establishment of a new favourable mutation. Part 9 Evolution in structured populations: selection in trait groups; the evolution of co-operation - synergistic selection, relatedness; the group as the unit of evolution; the shifting balance theory. Part 10 The evolution of prokaryotes: the evolution of gene function; phages, plasmids and transposable elements; the evolution of phages and their hosts, plasmids, transposons; the population genetics of E. coli; the evolution of viruses. Part 11 The evolution of the eukaryotic genome: the nature of the genome; the haemoglobin gene family; duplication and the increase of DNA content; the ribosomal gene; unequal crossing over and gene conversion; repetitive DNA; karyotypic evolution. Part 12 The evolution of genetic systems - sex and recombination: the natural history of eukaryotic sex; the evolutionary significance of sex; the evolution of recombination. Part 13 The evolution of genetic systems - some consequences of sex: the sex ratio; selfing and outcrossing; hermaphroditism; sexual selection. Part 14 Macroevolution: species and speciation; patterns of evolution; coevolution.

Evolutionary Genetics John Maynard Smith

Evolutionary Genetics by John Maynard Smith

Summary

Evolutionary Genetics Summary

Evolutionary Genetics by John Maynard Smith

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Customer Reviews - Evolutionary Genetics