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Microbial Evolution


Subject Area(s):  Bacteria

Edited by Howard Ochman, University of Texas

Download a Free Excerpt from Microbial Evolution:

Contents and Preface
Index


© 2016 • 210 pages, illustrated (40 color, 10 B&W), index
Hardcover • $135 108.00
ISBN  978-1-621820-37-6
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  •     Description    
  •     Contents    

Description

Bacteria have been the dominant forms of life on Earth for the past 3.5 billion years. They rapidly evolve, constantly changing their genetic architecture through horizontal DNA transfer and other mechanisms. Consequently, it can be difficult to define individual species and determine how they are related.

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines how bacteria and other microbes evolve, focusing on insights from genomics-based studies. Contributors discuss the origins of new microbial populations, the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that keep species separate once they have diverged, and the challenges of constructing phylogenetic trees that accurately reflect their relationships. They describe the organization of microbial genomes, the various mutations that occur, including the birth of new genes de novo and by duplication, and how natural selection acts on those changes. The role of horizontal gene transfer as a strong driver of microbial evolution is emphasized throughout.

The authors also explore the geologic evidence for early microbial evolution and describe the use of microbial evolution experiments to examine phenomena like natural selection. This volume will thus be essential reading for all microbial ecologists, population geneticists, and evolutionary biologists.

Contents

Preface
Realizing Microbial Evolution
Howard Ochman
Early Microbial Evolution: The Age of Anaerobes
William F. Martin and Filipa L. Sousa
Paleobiological Perspectives on Early Microbial Evolution
Andrew H. Knoll
Horizontal Gene Transfer and the History of Life
Vincent Daubin and Gergely J. Szöllősi
Genome-Based Microbial Taxonomy Coming of Age
Philip Hugenholtz, Adam Skarshewski, and Donovan H. Parks
Mutation—The Engine of Evolution: Studying Mutation and Its Role in the Evolution of Bacteria
Ruth Hershberg
Thoughts Toward a Theory of Natural Selection: The Importance of Microbial Experimental Evolution
Daniel Dykhuizen
The Origin of Mutants Under Selection: How Natural Selection Mimics Mutagenesis (Adaptive Mutation)
Sophie Maisnier-Patin and John R. Roth
Not So Simple After All: Bacteria, Their Population Genetics, and Recombination
William P. Hanage
Microbial Speciation
B. Jesse Shapiro and Martin F. Polz
The Evolution of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli
Samuel K. Sheppard and Martin C.J. Maiden
Evolution of New Functions De Novo and from Preexisting Genes
Dan I. Andersson, Jon Jerlström-Hultqvist, and Joakim Näsvall
Coevolution of the Organization and Structure of Prokaryotic Genomes
Marie Touchon and Eduardo P.C. Rocha
Index