Introduction To Evolutionary Genomics

This authoritative textbook/reference presents a comprehensive introduction to the field of evolutionary genomics. The opening chapters describe the fundamental concepts in molecular biology and genome evolution for readers without any prior background in this area. This is followed by a detailed examination of genome evolution in various different groups of organisms. The text then concludes with a review of practical methods essential to researchers in the field. This updated and revised new edition also features historical perspectives on contributions to evolutionary genomics from related fields such as molecular evolution, genetics, and numerical taxonomy. Topics and features: introduces the basics of molecular biology, covering protein structure and diversity, as well as DNA replication, transcription, and translation; examines the phylogenetic relationships of DNA sequences, and the processes of mutation, neutral evolution, and natural selection; presents a brief evolutionary history of life, surveying the key features of the genomes of prokaryotes, eukaryotes, viruses and phages, vertebrates, and humans; reviews the various biological “omic” databases, and discusses the analysis of homologous nucleotide and amino acid sequences; provides an overview of the experimental sequencing of genomes and transcriptomes, and the construction of phylogenetic trees; describes methods for estimating of evolutionary distances, and performing studies of population genetics; supplies additional supporting material at an associated website. Serving as an indispensable textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on evolutionary genomics, this accessible overview will also prove invaluable to researchers from both computer science and the biological sciences seeking a primer on the field.

This book is the first of its kind to explain the fundamentals of evolutionary genomics. The comprehensive coverage includes concise descriptions of a variety of genome organizations, a thorough discussion of the methods used, and a detailed review of genome sequence processing procedures. The opening chapters also provide the necessary basics for readers unfamiliar with evolutionary studies. Features: introduces the basics of molecular biology, DNA replication, mutation, phylogeny, neutral evolution, and natural selection; presents a brief evolutionary history of life from the primordial seas to the emergence of humans; describes the genomes of prokaryotes, eukaryotes, vertebrates, and humans; reviews methods for genome sequencing, phenotype data collection, homology searches and analysis, and phylogenetic tree and network building; discusses databases of genome sequences and related information, evolutionary distances, and population genomics; provides supplementary material at an associated website.

Evolutionary genetics is the study of how genetic variation leads to evolutionary change. With the recent explosion in the availability of whole genome sequence data, vast quantities of genetic data are being generated at an ever-increasing pace with the result that programming has become an essential tool for researchers. Most importantly, a thorough understanding of evolutionary principles is essential for making sense of this genetic data. This up-to-date textbook covers all the major components of modern evolutionary genetics, carefully explaining fundamental processes such as mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, and speciation, together with their consequences. The book also draws on a rich literature of exciting and inspiring examples to demonstrate the diversity of evolutionary research, including an emphasis on how evolution and selection has shaped our own species. Furthermore, at the end of each chapter, study questions are provided to motivate the reader to think and reflect on the concepts introduced. Practical experience is essential when it comes to developing an understanding of how to use genetic and genomic data to analyze and address interesting questions in the life sciences and how to interpret results in meaningful ways. In addition to the main text, a series of online tutorials using the R language serves as an introduction to programming, statistics, and the analysis of evolutionary genetic data. The R environment stands out as an ideal all-purpose, open source platform to handle and analyze such data. The book and its online materials take full advantage of the authors' own experience in working in a post-genomic revolution world, and introduce readers to the plethora of molecular and analytical methods that have only recently become available.

This book examines developments in statistical methodology and the challenges that followed rapidly improving sequencing technologies.Includes articles encompassing theoretical works and hands-on tutorials, as well as many reviews with key biological insight."

Sequence - Evolution - Function is an introduction to the computational approaches that play a critical role in the emerging new branch of biology known as functional genomics. The book provides the reader with an understanding of the principles and approaches of functional genomics and of the potential and limitations of computational and experimental approaches to genome analysis. Sequence - Evolution - Function should help bridge the "digital divide" between biologists and computer scientists, allowing biologists to better grasp the peculiarities of the emerging field of Genome Biology and to learn how to benefit from the enormous amount of sequence data available in the public databases. The book is non-technical with respect to the computer methods for genome analysis and discusses these methods from the user's viewpoint, without addressing mathematical and algorithmic details. Prior practical familiarity with the basic methods for sequence analysis is a major advantage, but a reader without such experience will be able to use the book as an introduction to these methods. This book is perfect for introductory level courses in computational methods for comparative and functional genomics.

This unique textbook provides a clear and concise overview of the key principles of the complex field of phylogenomics, with a particular focus on sequencing technologies that are crucial to studying and understanding interrelations in evolutionary genomics. It includes chapters dedicated to the analysis of nucleotide sequences using assembling and alignment methods and also discusses the main strategies for phylogenetic studies, systematic errors and their correction. This highly readable textbook is intended for graduate students and young researchers with an interest in phylogenetics and evolutionary developmental biology.

The first complete overview of evolutionary computing, the collective name for a range of problem-solving techniques based on principles of biological evolution, such as natural selection and genetic inheritance. The text is aimed directly at lecturers and graduate and undergraduate students. It is also meant for those who wish to apply evolutionary computing to a particular problem or within a given application area. The book contains quick-reference information on the current state-of-the-art in a wide range of related topics, so it is of interest not just to evolutionary computing specialists but to researchers working in other fields.

The first complete overview of evolutionary computing, the collective name for a range of problem-solving techniques based on principles of biological evolution, such as natural selection and genetic inheritance. The text is aimed directly at lecturers and graduate and undergraduate students. It is also meant for those who wish to apply evolutionary computing to a particular problem or within a given application area. The book contains quick-reference information on the current state-of-the-art in a wide range of related topics, so it is of interest not just to evolutionary computing specialists but to researchers working in other fields.