Molecular Evolution

by Wen-Hsiung Li

This text describes the dynamics of evolutionary change at the molecular level, the driving forces behind the evolutionary process, and the effects of the various molecular mechanisms on the structure of genes and genomes. It also explains the methodology involved in dealing with molecular data.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0878934634
• ISBN13: 9780878934638
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Sinauer Associates
• Length: 487 Pages
• Weight: 2.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.3" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

Best book on subject on market today.

This is a fabulous work. Well written, almost a page turner. I've read, or been reading, Protein Evolution by Laszlo Patthy and Molecular Evolution by Page and Holmes. These are good books, but left me wanting clarification and greater depth. I searched the UCSD BioMed Library and discovered Li's Molecular Evolution. Just what I was looking for. It's a nice improvement over the Principles of Molecular Evolution by Li and Graur. I note a new edition of the latter book is due out soon which makes me wonder if the new book might not be an update to Li's book. The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is the typography. The print and style of the earlier work by Li and Graur is far superior.

Serious molecular evolution

The general reader who has already read some other references on molecular methods will find this reference to be a reasonable to read yet fairly detailed, comprehensive overview of molecular methods used to discern evolutionary history. The reference begins with the fundamentals of gene structure and function, population genetics, and evolutionary changes in DNA sequences. The use of molecular methods to determine phylogenetic relationships between organisms is then discussed. Molecular clocks are discussed as well. Gene duplication is then discussed. This has been an important mechanism for generating new genes in the evolution of life on Earth. As well, duplication of portions of genes and subsequent 'exon shuffling' or 'domain shuffling', allows the emergence of proteins with new or improved functions. Concerted evolution, the phenomenon that DNA sequences of species evolve so that DNA sequences of the organism maintain similarities to each other, often being more similar internally than with homologous DNA sequences from related species, is then discussed. Gene conversion recombination and unequal crossing over are given as mechanisms for the phenomenon of concerted evolution. Transposable genetic elements are then discussed. Although there is controversy with regards to the effect that mobile genes have had on the evolution of life, they show that the genome is not a static structure, but is susceptible to evolutionary changes. Genome organization is then discussed. It is interesting to note that genome sizes of different bacteria is discontinuous, suggesting that genome duplication occurred in a variety of lineages, especially so 1.8 billion years ago when oxygen appeared in the atmosphere. The variation in genome size of eukaryotes is even greater than in bacteria, from 9 million base pairs in some fungi to 670,000 million base pairs in some diatoms (for reference, the genome size of E. coli bacteria is 4.7 million base pairs, that of humans is 3400 million base pairs), although the amniotes (ie, reptiles, birds and mammals) show much less variation in genome size. These results indicate that genome size itself only offers potential for complexity, as well as the implication that much of eukaryotic DNA does not code for anything. Other results also show that large amounts of eukaryotic DNA consists of repetitive segments. Mechanisms for the variation in eukaryotic DNA observed include genome duplication (although polyploidy is rare in animals reproducing via sex), chromosome duplications, transpositions, unequal crossing-over, and DNA amplification. The final chapter considers the selectionist-neutralist debate. Selectionists have a neo-Darwinian view of evolution, ie, there is genetic variability in the population which is changed by natural selection. The neutralists view evolution as being driven more by the rate of mutation than by selection.

buy it if you have a serious interest in evolution

A very useful and readable overview of the basics in the field, with good mix of theory and empirical findings. More and more, molecular evolutionary approaches are being adopted in many areas of biology and medicine. This book could be a simple way for researchers from a variety of fields to educate themselves in the fundamentals of molecular evolution. And any grad student in biology will want to own it.

An essential synthesis!

Molecular Evolution provides an essential synthesis detailing the explosion of knowledge and presenting the exciting developments in the study of molecular evolution. The book describes the dynamics of evolutionary change at the molecular level, the driving forces behind the evolutionary process, the effects of the various molecular mechanisms on the structure of genes and genomes, and the methodology involved in dealing with molecular data from an evolutionary perspective.