R. Kliman – Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology (4 Volume set, 2016)

Автор: R. Kliman
Название книги: Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology (2016)
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Биологические науки
Страницы: 2134
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology is the definitive go-to reference in the field of evolutionary biology. It provides a fully comprehensive review of the field in an easy to search structure. Under the collective leadership of fifteen distinguished section editors, it is comprised of articles written by leading experts in the field, providing a full review of the current status of each topic.

The articles are up-to-date and fully illustrated with in-text references that allow readers to easily access primary literature. While all entries are authoritative and valuable to those with advanced understanding of evolutionary biology, they are also intended to be accessible to both advanced undergraduate and graduate students.

Broad topics include the history of evolutionary biology, population genetics, quantitative genetics; speciation, life history evolution, evolution of sex and mating systems, evolutionary biogeography, evolutionary developmental biology, molecular and genome evolution, coevolution, phylogenetic methods, microbial evolution, diversification of plants and fungi, diversification of animals, and applied evolution.

Presents fully comprehensive content, allowing easy access to fundamental information and links to primary research
Contains concise articles by leading experts in the field that ensures current coverage of each topic
Provides ancillary learning tools like tables, illustrations, and multimedia features to assist with the comprehension process

Richard M. Kliman, PhD, is Professor of Biological Sciences at Cedar Crest College in
Allentown, Pennsylvania. He received his BA from Colby College in biology and music. His
graduate work at Wesleyan University focused on quantitative genetics of circadian rhythms
and photoperiodism in the Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus. As a postdoctoral fellow
at Rutgers University and Harvard University, he studied molecular evolution and population
genetics. Prior to Cedar Crest College, he taught at Radford University in Virginia and
Kean University in New Jersey. He has also served as a program director in the Division of
Environmental Biology at the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
Kliman’s research interests center on questions in molecular evolution, including the
evolution of codon usage bias in a variety of organisms; speciation and natural history; and
ecology and conservation. Much of this work has relied on population genetics/genomics
and bioinformatics approaches. He has also collaborated with Cedar Crest colleague John
Cigliano on an Earthwatch-supported “before-after-control-impact” study on the effects of a
new marine reserve in Belize on queen conch populations. His research in evolutionary and
ecological genetics has been supported by the US National Institutes of Health and by
Conservation International.
Kliman has served on the editorial boards of Genetica and The Journal of Molecular Evolution. He has been deeply involved in
evolution education, helping to coordinate “Undergraduate Diversity at SSE/SSB,” an NSF-supported program to bring a diverse
group of undergraduates to the annual Evolution research conference. He was a lead editor of population/quantitative genetics
and evolutionary genetics for Nature Education/Scitable at its inception. He is a member of the Education and Outreach Committee
of the Society for the Study of Evolution, and editor of the society’s peer-reviewed educational resource, the EvoEd Digital Library

Preface

The Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology was developed to provide
an authoritative overview of the current state of evolutionary
biology. It was an ambitious goal, especially given
that the field did not pause for the two and a half years needed
to complete the project. The encyclopedia’s 15 section editors
collaborated to ensure that content gaps were kept to a minimum,
and their efforts show. When the project was completed,
we had compiled 256 entries, covering a broad range
of topics selected by the editors to ensure a comprehensive
resource. It was a privilege to read every one of these entries,
and I was truly humbled by the collective efforts of hundreds
of authors to communicate the excitement and sophistication
of a field of study that touches on every conceivable topic
in biology today.
There are many ways to envision an encyclopedia of evolution,
and we had to choose an approach that would lead
to a cohesive resource. Readers will note that, in the more
organismal-focused entries (edited by David Guttman, Amy
Litt, and Claudia Russo), there is an emphasis on diversification
of life. We did not set out to provide an overview of the
diversity of life, as such a goal would be untenable; rather,
we focused on the evolutionary processes and key events
responsible for diversity. Numerous entries deal with speciation,
life history evolution, evolutionary biogeography, and
coevolution. These entries (edited by Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos,
Tim Coulson, Rosemary Gillespie, and Andrew Forbes) bring
to light how the evolution and diversification of life is
intimately entwined with ecology. Of course, there is extensive
coverage of population genetics, quantitative genetics, evolutionary
developmental biology, the evolution of sex and
mating systems, molecular/genome evolution, and phylogenetic
analysis (edited by Maria Orive, Jason Wolf, Karen
Sears, Nina Wedell, Hiroshi Akashi, and Laura Kubatko), all
fundamental to our understanding of evolutionary processes.
And as thematic bookends, several entries (edited by Betty Smocovitis and Norman Johnson) cover the history of evolutionary
biology and applications of evolutionary biology.
Readers of the encyclopedia will find that entries are generally
pitched at a somewhat advanced level, although with
great effort by authors to make entries as accessible as possible
to a broad audience. Encyclopedias, like living organisms, are
compromises. If all entries could be readily understood in
their entirety by first-year university students, this encyclopedia
would be of limited value to experts. At the other extreme,
if entries were extremely technical – and our authors were
undoubtedly capable of producing such entries – the encyclopedia
might be inaccessible to students. While there is, by
necessity, variation among entries in this regard, we settled on
a general target: the majority of an entry should be accessible
to a motivated, advanced undergraduate. Readers are, of
course, directed to additional resources, with authors providing
bibliographies and lists of further reading.
As with any undertaking of this scale, there are many
individuals who should be recognized for their roles in
the development of this encyclopedia. Special thanks go to
Norman Johnson for early discussions that helped us develop
the general structure of the encyclopedia. The dedicated and
distinguished team of section editors deserves the credit for
drafting the table of contents, recruiting authors, and working
extensively with authors to ensure the highest quality product.
It should go without saying that the high quality of this encyclopedia
ultimately reflects the efforts of the editors and
authors. Finally, the project management and development
teams at Academic Press were always ready to assist, and
while it is not possible to name everyone who contributed to
the effort, I am particularly indebted to Simon Holt, Will
Bowden-Green, Paula Davies, and Justin Taylor.