Conservation and the Genetics of Populations

by Frederick William Allendorf, Gordon H. Luikart, Sally N. Aitken

This important book provides a thorough understanding of the genetic basis of biological problems in conservation. Conservation and the Genetics of Populations gives a comprehensive overview of the essential background, concepts, and tools needed to understand how genetic information can be used to develop conservation plans for species threatened with extinction.Loss of biodiversity is among the greatest problems facing the world today, but thanks to new molecular technologies, statistical methods, and computer programs, genetic theories and methods are becoming increasingly useful in the conservation of biological diversity. Using a balance of data and theory, and basic and applied research, Conservation and the Genetics of Populations examines genetic and phenotypic variation in natural populations, the principles and mechanisms of evolutionary change, the interpretation of genetic data from natural populations, and how this may be applied to conservation. The book includes examples from both plants and animals, as well as from natural and captive populations.Written in an accessible style, each chapter includes discussion questions and problems to aid understanding, and also features a Guest Box authored by leading people in the field. An associated website (www.blackwellpublishing.com/allendorf) contains solutions to questions, example data sets, and software programs to illustrate population genetic processes and methods of data analysis.This book is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of conservation genetics, natural resource management, and conservation biology, as well as professional conservation biologists working for wildlife and habitat management agencies.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Ecology

1529 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive review of genetics and the light it sheds on conservation efforts, including how this has changed over recent decades and how it could change into the future as our understanding improves. Given the complexity of the subject, this is surprisingly 'easy' to read and understand, albeit with a bit of concentration and, in my case, frequent use of the glossary (certainly to start with while my brain tried to re-absorb the various terms). When I first opened and started reading this, I honestly thought I would not understand a bit of it but the authors have done an excellent job breaking the various theories and processes down, explaining each one and providing examples to show how it works and what it means. I am now feeling a bit more comfortable (not quite confident yet) with modern genetics and the potential uses in conservation and how it may alter how we do things in future, and more important how it should alter how we do things.

[Mary E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and thorough. Excellent textbook!