Book Summary:
The first edition of Maynard Smith's Evolutionary Genetics (first published in 1989) was welcomed as the first comprehensive introduction to the molecular and population aspects of evolutionary genetics, and has now become one of the definitive textbooks in the field. Aimed at advanced
undergraduates in the biological sciences, the book covers basic population and quantitative genetics, evolutionary game theory, behavioral evolution, sexual selection and mating systems, speciation, and macroevolution. Theory and mathematics are clearly explained, with the aid of problems at the
ends of the chapters, and the author takes care to place these within the context of questions central to current research in evolutionary biology. This Second Edition has been revised and updated throughout to reflect new findings and research interests. In the chapter on phenotypic evolution, the
author incorporates new research on game theory. The discussions of sex and host-parasite interactions have been extensively revised and the author has added a new chapter on molecular genetics and the reconstruction of evolutionary history. Evolutionary Genetics remains the essential textbook for
advanced undergraduates seeking a clear, comprehensive, and up-to-date account of the theory of evolutionary biology. |