Key Features:Demonstrates the power and enormous potential of molecular ecology as a research tool using practical evidence, not just theoretical concepts
- The first undergraduate text to cover this exciting new field
- Contains an extensive and up-to-date bibliography allowing easy follow-up to original research papers
- The appendices provide accessible outlines of the main laboratory and theoretical methods in molecular ecology
Description:
Ecology - the study of how individuals and species interact with their surroundings, and each other - has been revolutionised by a new molecular approach to the subject. By using molecular, biological and molecular genetic techniques, ecological interactions can be investigated in more detail and with more accuracy than ever before. An Introduction to Molecular Ecology makes this fascinating area of research accessible to students for the first time. Beginning with the history of molecular ecology, involving the relationships between natural history, genetics and evolution, the book moves on to discuss the areas of molecular population genetics, phylogeography, and molecular ecology in conservation biology. These are just a few of the ten chapters, which are individually structured to include background information, questions of interest, the underlying theory of the various molecular and analytical approaches, and a range of relevant examples. Two substantial appendices detail accounts of the main practical and analytical methods currently used in molecular ecology.
Companion Web Site:
Illustrations from the book will be available to download free from the companion website at:
www.oup.com/uk/booksites/biosciences/
Contents:
Introduction:
Chapter 1: The emergence of molecular ecology as a new discipline, including its major methods.
Chapter 2: Basic Molecular Biology: Structure of Proteins, DNA, etc.
Chapter 3: Identification: Use of molecular methods to identify cryptic species, hybrids, sex of an
individual, etc.
Chapter 4: Behaviour: Use of DNA fingerprinting/profiling to identify individuals for parentage
analysis.
Chapter 5: Population Genetics: Study of population structure, genetic diversity and inbreeding.
Chapter 6: Phylogeography: The genetic history of species distributions.
Chapter 7: Molecular Microbiology: Assessing the diversity and distribution of microorganism
communities.
Chapter 8: Conservation Genetics: Applications of molecular studies in the conservation
programmes for wild populations.
Chapter 9: Adaptive Variation and Fitness: Use of molecular markers to study fitness traits in wild
plants and animals.
Chapter 10: Genetically Modified Organisms: Use of molecular methods to study the effects of
releasing GM-organisms into the wild.
- The first undergraduate text to cover this exciting new field
- Contains an extensive and up-to-date bibliography allowing easy follow-up to original research papers
- The appendices provide accessible outlines of the main laboratory and theoretical methods in molecular ecology
Description:
Ecology - the study of how individuals and species interact with their surroundings, and each other - has been revolutionised by a new molecular approach to the subject. By using molecular, biological and molecular genetic techniques, ecological interactions can be investigated in more detail and with more accuracy than ever before. An Introduction to Molecular Ecology makes this fascinating area of research accessible to students for the first time. Beginning with the history of molecular ecology, involving the relationships between natural history, genetics and evolution, the book moves on to discuss the areas of molecular population genetics, phylogeography, and molecular ecology in conservation biology. These are just a few of the ten chapters, which are individually structured to include background information, questions of interest, the underlying theory of the various molecular and analytical approaches, and a range of relevant examples. Two substantial appendices detail accounts of the main practical and analytical methods currently used in molecular ecology.
Companion Web Site:
Illustrations from the book will be available to download free from the companion website at:
www.oup.com/uk/booksites/biosciences/
Contents:
Introduction:
Chapter 1: The emergence of molecular ecology as a new discipline, including its major methods.
Chapter 2: Basic Molecular Biology: Structure of Proteins, DNA, etc.
Chapter 3: Identification: Use of molecular methods to identify cryptic species, hybrids, sex of an
individual, etc.
Chapter 4: Behaviour: Use of DNA fingerprinting/profiling to identify individuals for parentage
analysis.
Chapter 5: Population Genetics: Study of population structure, genetic diversity and inbreeding.
Chapter 6: Phylogeography: The genetic history of species distributions.
Chapter 7: Molecular Microbiology: Assessing the diversity and distribution of microorganism
communities.
Chapter 8: Conservation Genetics: Applications of molecular studies in the conservation
programmes for wild populations.
Chapter 9: Adaptive Variation and Fitness: Use of molecular markers to study fitness traits in wild
plants and animals.
Chapter 10: Genetically Modified Organisms: Use of molecular methods to study the effects of
releasing GM-organisms into the wild.