Population Genetics and Microevolutionary Theory

Population Genetics and Microevolutionary Theory

Publisher: Wiley-Liss
Number Of Pages: 720
Publication Date: 2006-09-29
Sales Rank: 32577
ISBN / ASIN: 0471409510
EAN: 9780471409519
Binding: Hardcover
Manufacturer: Wiley-Liss
Studio: Wiley-Liss
Average Rating: 5

The advances made possible by the development of molecular techniques have in recent years revolutionized quantitative genetics and its relevance for population genetics. Population Genetics and Microevolutionary Theory takes a modern approach to population genetics, incorporating modern molecular biology, species-level evolutionary biology, and a thorough acknowledgment of quantitative genetics as the theoretical basis for population genetics.

Logically organized into three main sections on population structure and history, genotype-phenotype interactions, and selection/adaptation
Extensive use of real examples to illustrate concepts
Written in a clear and accessible manner and devoid of complex mathematical equations
Includes the author's introduction to background material as well as a conclusion for a handy overview of the field and its modern applications
Each chapter ends with a set of review questions and answers
Offers helpful general references and Internet links

Review:

New textbook in population genetics offers unique perspectives

This latest textbook in population genetics flies above and beyond any other textbook I've read in the field because of its clarity and depth of coverage.

Templeton offers new and unique insights in several key topics in population genetics, and he gives plenty of caveats throughout where important population genetics concepts have been misunderstood. For example, his coverage of inbreeding cofficients is exceptional, and he rightly points out how different inbreeding coefficients are wrongly used in the literature. His approach throughout is multi-dimentional, encompassing the interaction between different evolutionary forces and always stressing the prime importance of population history. A very thorough discussion on the use of linkage disequilibrium in medical genetics is also included.

Does this book have any weak points? It's hard to point out any, such was my overall highly positive impression from reading the book.

Templeton's scholarship is vast and deep, as is his publication record. The unique perspectives offered by this book certainly puts it among the best science books I own.

Review:

A New Text Reflecting the Latest Developments

Population genetics is concerned with the origin, amount, and distribution of genetic variation present in populations of organisms and the fate of this variation through space and time. As such it is dealing with the mechanisms by which evolution occurs within populations and species, the ultimate basis for all evolutionary change.

It is not a new science, but like the rest of biology has seen significant change occurring as problems of species extinction and environmental degradation became important to students of conservation biology, and as the analytical methods developed for population genetics have been found to be useful in many areas of genomics.

This book provides a basic foundation in population genetics for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. While the book is not primarily mathematical in its approach, the student should have at least a beginning understanding of calculus.

Dr. Templeton is the Charles Rebstock Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis with joint appointments in Genetics and Biomedical Engineering

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