Animal development and plant development
Trade Review
Rogers (molecular biology and evolution, Bowling Green State Univ.) has created an engaging, readable, accessible introduction to the field of molecular evolution. The book is organized in sections that follow a logical progression. A brief discussion of life and the basic features of evolutionary theory is followed by sections on basic macromolecules and cellular processes, Mendelian and population genetics, gene families, means of gene transfer, the developmental processes in multicellular organisms, and methods of molecular analysis and omics. The work ends with chapters devoted to the genomes of various organisms and agents, from viruses through humans. In each chapter, the discussion is tied to how the topic affects or is affected by the process of evolution. Each chapter ends with a summary of key points and contains a list of additional sources. The illustrations are effective and enhance the text. The book will be most useful to readers with a basic knowledge of molecular biology and development, as the background topics are covered in an appropriately succinct fashion.
--M. S. Kainz, Ripon College
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. CHOICE
Table of Contents
LIFE AND EVOLUTION. Definitions of Life. Earth and Evolution. BIOMOLECULES. DNA, RNA, and Proteins. The Central Dogma and Beyond. Ribosomes and Ribosomal RNA. Structure of the Genetic Code. DNA Replication. DNA Segregation. GENETICS. Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Characters. Population Genetics. Alleles through Time. Changes to DNA. Infectious Changes to DNA: Viruses, Plasmids, Transposons, and Introns. MULTICELLULARITY. Multigene Families. Horizontal Gene Transfer. Development: Part I—Cooperation Among Cells. Development: Part II—Plants. Cancer. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATIC METHODS. Extraction and Quantification of Biological Molecules. Recombinant DNA and Characterization of Biological Molecules. Sequencing and Alignment Methods. OMICS: Part I. OMICS: Part II. Species Concepts and Phylogenetics. Phylogenetic Networks and Reticulate Evolution. Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics. GENOMES. RNA Viruses. DNA Viruses. Bacteria and Archaea. Mutualists and Pathogens. Endosymbionts and Organelles. Protein Trafficking. Eukaryotic Genomes. Human Genome.
