Integrated Molecular Evolution

Molecular evolution, phylogenetics, genomics, and other related topics are all critical to understanding evolutionary processes. All too frequently, however, they are treated separately in textbooks and courses, such that students fail to connect all of the concepts, principles, and nuances of the evolutionary processes. Integrated Molecular Evolution brings these related areas together in one volume, facilitating student comprehension of often difficult concepts. Incorporating the emerging fields of genomics and bioinformatics with traditional fields such as evolution, genetics, and molecular biology, this volume explores a myriad of topics, including Life on Earth and the possible origins of life The evolution of organisms on Earth and the history of the study of evolution Basic structures of DNA, RNA, proteins, and other biological molecules, and the synthesis of each Molecular biology and the evolution, structure, and function of ribosomes DNA replication and the various ways in which chromosomes are separated Ways in which DNA can be changed to produce mutations, infectious causes of mutation, and repair of DNA Definitions, evolution, and the importance of multigene families Phylogenetic analysis and how researchers use the raw sequence data to reconstruct portions of evolutionary processes Details of the genomes of a variety of organisms, from RNA viruses to eukaryotes, presented in order of complexity Each chapter ends with a summary of key points, forming an effective review and enabling students to isolate critical material. The series of topics and the masterful integration of these topics lead students to a full understanding of evolution and the component processes that have led to biological evolution on Earth.

Table of Contents:
Definitions of Life RNA and Life Detecting Life Defining Life Imagining Cellular and Molecular Dimensions Earth and Evolution What is Evolution? Earth History A Short History of the Study of Evolution Earth History as One Year DNA → RNA → Proteins Nucleic Acids Translation Amino Acids and Polypeptides Lipids Carbohydrates The Central Dogma and Beyond Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) Transfer RNA (tRNA) Messenger RNA (mRNA) Other Small Noncoding RNA (ncRNA) Beyond the Central Dogma Evolution of Ribosomes, Ribosomal RNA, and Translation Ribosomes as Ribozymes Translation Origin of the Ribosome Evolution of the Genetic Code Why a Triplet Codon? How Many rRNA Copies Are Needed? Specific Mechanisms for Increasing rRNA Gene Copy Number Complexity of Ribosomes DNA Replication Variations of Replication Topology during Replication Replication of Chromosomes DNA Segregation Variations on DNA Segregation in Bacteria (and Archaea) Mitosis Variations on Mitosis and the Cell Cycle Variations on Chromosome Number Changes in DNA Amount during the Cell Cycle Meiosis Changes to DNA Causes of Mutations Mutation during Replication Effects of Mutations DNA Repair Genetic Recombination Viruses, Plasmids, Transposons, and Introns Viruses Introns Transposable Elements (Transposons and Retrotransposons) Plasmids Horizontal Gene Transfers Species, Taxonomy, and Gene Flow What Is a Species? Classification of Life Reconstruction Evolutionary History Gene Flow Multigene Families Ribosomal RNA Gene Family Globin Gene Family Bacterial Flagella Gene Family Laccase Gene Family Histone Gene Family Orthologs and Paralogs Phylogenetics: Evolutionary Reconstructions Tree Terminology Choosing Genomic Region Aligning Sequences Other Considerations When Performing Phylogenetic Analyses Analyzing the Aligned Sequence UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) Neighbor Joining Maximum Parsimony Maximum Likelihood (ML) Bayesian Phylogenetic Analysis Bootstrapping Vertical versus Horizontal Evolutionary Events Genomes I: RNA Viruses C-Value Paradox Genomics HIV Influenza A Ebola Genomes II: DNA Viruses Bacteriophage ϕX174 Bacteriophage Lambda (λ) Bacteriophage T4 Mimivirus Genomes III: Bacteria and Archaea Escherichia coli Photosynthetic Bacteria Aquifex Euryarchaeota Crenarchaeota Genomes IV: Mutualists and Pathogens Termite Gut Microbes Smallest Bacterial Genome Co-Resident Symbionts Animal Parasite Genome Mixing and Sorting Genomes V: Endosymbionts and Organelles Intracellular Endosymbiont Mitochondria Chloroplasts Endosymbioses Leading to Other Organelles Evolution Genomes VI: Eukaryotic Genomes Origin of the Nucleus and Mitochondrion Multicellularity Chromalveolates Ophisthokonta (including humans) Plantae Bibliography

About the Author :
Scott O. Rogers, PhD, is a professor of molecular biology at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. He received his BS and MS degrees in Biology from the University of Oregon, Eugene, and PhD in Plant Molecular Biology from the University of Washington, Seattle. He was an assistant professor and associate professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York, from 1989 through 2001, before moving to BGSU. He has taught courses in biology, botany, cell physiology, molecular biology, molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and molecular evolution. Research in his lab includes studies of microbes in ice, life in extreme environments, group I introns, molecular microbial phylogenetics, microbial metagenomics, ancient DNA, and plant development.

Review :
"Rogers (Bowling Green State Univ.) has produced a book that succinctly outlines the major topics of this area of biology. The scope and the author’s excellent writing style make it an extremely student-friendly textbook for use in any graduate-level or upper-level undergraduate class on molecular genetics and evolution. … an immensely valuable work for any reader who already has a fundamental grasp of the fundamental topics of biochemistry and molecular biology. A companion CD-ROM packaged with the book contains every figure from the book in PDF format, making the book especially useful for instructors. Summing Up: Highly recommended." — CHOICE Magazine, April 2012