In the field of molecular evolution, inferences about past
evolutionary events are made using molecular data from currently
living species. With the availability of genomic data from multiple
related species, molecular evolution has become one of the most
active and fastest growing fields of study in genomics and
bioinformatics.
Most studies in molecular evolution rely heavily on statistical
procedures based on stochastic process modelling and advanced
computational methods including high-dimensional numerical
optimization and Markov Chain Monte Carlo. This book provides an
overview of the statistical theory and methods used in studies of
molecular evolution. It includes an introductory section suitable
for readers that are new to the field, a section discussing
practical methods for data analysis, and more specialized sections
discussing specific models and addressing statistical issues
relating to estimation and model choice. The chapters are written
by the leaders of field and they will take the reader from basic
introductory material to the state-of-the-art statistical
methods.
This book is suitable for statisticians seeking to learn more
about applications in molecular evolution and molecular
evolutionary biologists with an interest in learning more about the
theory behind the statistical methods applied in the field. The
chapters of the book assume no advanced mathematical skills beyond
basic calculus, although familiarity with basic probability theory
will help the reader. Most relevant statistical concepts are
introduced in the book in the context of their application in
molecular evolution, and the book should be accessible for most
biology graduate students with an interest in quantitative methods
and theory.
Rasmus Nielsen received his Ph.D. form the University of
California at Berkeley in 1998 and after a postdoc at Harvard
University, he assumed a faculty position in Statistical Genomics
at Cornell University. He is currently an Ole Romer Fellow at the
University of Copenhagen and holds a Sloan Research Fellowship. His
is an associate editor of the Journal of Molecular Evolution and
has published more than fifty original papers in peer-reviewed
journals on the topic of this book.
From the reviews:
..".Overall this is a very useful book in an area of increasing
importance." Journal of the Royal Statistical Society
"I find Statistical Methods in Molecular Evolution very
interesting and useful. It delves into problems that were
considered very difficult just several years ago...the book is
likely to stimulate the interest of statisticians that are unaware
of this exciting field of applications. It is my hope that it will
also help the 'wet lab' molecular evolutionist to better understand
mathematical and statistical methods." Marek Kimmel for the Journal
of the American Statistical Association, September 2006
"Who should read this book? We suggest that anyone who deals
with molecular data (who does not?) and anyone who asks
evolutionary questions (who should not?) ought to consult the
relevant chapters in this book." Dan Graur and Dror Berel for
Biometrics, September 2006
"Coalescence theory facilitates the merger of population
genetics theory with phylogenetic approaches, but still, there are
mostly two camps: phylogeneticists and population geneticists. Only
a few people are moving freely between them. Rasmus Nielsen is
certainly one of these researchers, and his work so far has merged
many population genetic and phylogenetic aspects of biological
research under the umbrella of molecular evolution. Although
Nielsen did not contribute a chapter to his book, his work
permeates all its chapters. This book gives an overview of his
interests and current achievements in molecular evolution. In
short, this book should be on your bookshelf." Peter Beerli for
Evolution, 60(2), 2006"
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!