Intraspecific Genetic Diversity : Monitoring, Conservation, and Management
Population and evolutionary genetics have been quickly developing ?elds of biological research over the past decades. This book compiles our current understanding of genetic processes in natural populations. In addition, the book provides the author’s original ideas and concepts based on the data obtained by himself and his close coworkers. The author introduces his pioneering concept of population genetic stability,and much of thebook is concerned with the factors and conditions of such stability. Why does genetic stability matter so much? Altukhov argues that the sustainable use of natural resources, including genetic resources of popu- tions, critically depends on the maintenance of their stability. The preser- tion of well-adapted genetic characteristics from one generation to the next is essential for this stability. Traditionally, population genetics has been - cusedonevolution andthe role of evolutionary factorsinshapinggenetic structures of populations. While the idea of a population as a dynamic unit of evolution has been widely accepted, the signi?cance of genetic stability and its implications for the long-term survival of populations and species have not been fully appreciated.
Entry Inhibitors in HIV Therapy
The introductory chapters of this book present an overview of entry inhibitors, review current knowledge of how Env mediates entry, and discuss the challenge of genetic diversity in this region of the viral genome. Subsequent chapters feature current information on individual classes of entry inhibitors that target each step of the virus entry pathway, from attachment to membrane fusion. There is an emphasis on the complex determinants of entry inhibitor susceptibility, resistance mechanisms, the need for clinical phenotyping, and how these issues create new challenges for antiretroviral therapy. Encouraging pre-clinical studies of entry inhibitors as microbicidesare also discussed. The final chapters highlight the current status of entry inhibitors in clinical studies, the major milestone achieved with FDA approval of enfuvirtide, and review drug development, past and present.
Clusia : A woody neotropical genus of remarkable plasticity and diversity
Clusia is the only dicotyledonous tree genus with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), and in some cases all variants of CAM can be expressed in one given species. These unique features as well as Clusia's extreme flexibility have put it in the limelight of international research. The studies presented in this volume embrace anatomy, morphology and plant architecture, phytogeographical distribution and community ecology, phylogeny and genetic diversity, physiology and metabolism, physiological ecology and functional diversity, circadian rhythmicity and biological timing. Covering all aspects of tree biology, this richly illustrated volume is an invaluable source of information for any plant scientist.
Biodiversity Conservation and Phylogenetic Systematics : Preserving our evolutionary heritage in an extinction crisis
This book brings an updated state of the art of phylogenetic diversity in conservation biology. Nineteen chapters written by scientists from research institutions of fourteen countries demonstrate that approaches for preserving the evolutionary heritage are now very tuned into human impacts and sustainability issues. The questions, methods and applications around which it is organized show the importance of phylogenetic diversity in avoiding biodiversity losses in the present extinction crisis. They touch important points such as the way we value phylogenetic diversity, the importance of thinking at a much wider sample of the Tree of Life, the choice of adequate measures. In methods section, new solutions, such as dealing with abundances, sampling effort, or with information coming from conflicting phylogenetic trees are provided. Application section includes study cases of different groups of organi
Agricultural biodiversity and biotechnology in economic development
The topics addressed in this book are of vital importance to the survival of humankind. Agricultural biodiversity, encompassing genetic diversity as well as human knowledge, is the base upon which agricultural production has been built, and protecting this resource is critical to ensuring the capacity of current and future generations to adapt to unforeseen challenges. Agricultural biodiversity underpins the productivity of all agricultural systems and is particularly important for poor and food-insecure farmers, who maintain highly diverse production systems in response to the marginal and risky production conditions they operate under. Understanding the importance of agricultural biodiversity in the livelihoods of the food insecure and enhancing its performance through the use of a variety of tools, including biotechnology, is a critically important issue in the world today
Advances in wheat genetics : From genome to field : Proceedings of the 12th International wheat genetics symposium
Provides a comprehensive review of the forefront of wheat research, across various important topics such as germplasm and genetic diversity, cytogenetics and allopolyploid evolution, genome sequencing, structural and functional genomics, gene function and molecular biology, biotic stress, abiotic stress, grain quality, and classical and molecular breeding. Following an introduction, 9 parts of the book are dedicated to each of these topics. A final, 11th part entitled “Toward Sustainable Wheat Production” contains 7 excellent papers that were presented in the 12th IWGS Special Session supported by the OECD.





