The Foundations Of Genetics

The Foundations of Genetics

The Foundations of Genetics describes the historical development of genetics with emphasis on the contributions to advancing genetical knowledge and the various applications of genetics. The book reviews the work of Gregor Mendel, his Law of Segregation, and of Ernst Haeckel who suggested that the nucleus is that part of the cell that is responsible for heredity. The text also describes the studies of W. Johannsen on "pure lines," and his introduction of the terms gene, genotype, and phenotype. The book explains the theory of the gene and the notion that hereditary particles are borne by the chromosomes (Sutton-Boveri hypothesis). Of the constituent parts of the nucleus only the chromatin material divides at mitosis and segregates during maturation. Following studies confirm that the chromatin material, present in the form of chromosomes with a constant and characteristic number and appearance for each species, is indeed the hereditary material. The book describes how Muller in 1927, showed that high precision energy radiation is the external cause to mutation in the gene itself if one allele can mutate without affecting its partner. The superstructure of genetics built upon the foundations of Mendelism has many applications including cytogenetics, polyploidy, human genetics, eugenics, plant breeding, radiation genetics, and the evolution theory. The book can be useful to academicians and investigators in the fields of genetics such as biochemical, biometrical, microbial, and pharmacogenetics. Students in agriculture, anthropology, botany, medicine, sociology, veterinary medicine, and zoology should add this text to their list of primary reading materials.

Foundations of Mathematical Genetics

In this 2000 second edition of the classic work Foundations of Mathematical Genetics a definitive account is given of the basic models of population genetics, together with the historical origins of developments since 1908. Existing texts in mathematical population genetics have revealed the need for a careful study of the foundations of the field which have tended to be neglected in the past. This book satisfies that need, treating the simple deterministic models for random-mating diploid populations in depth, though without sacrificing clarity of expression. In the new edition, coverage has been extended with the provision of an extra chapter on the Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection. This book is written for those interested in the mathematical aspects of genetics, ecology and biology. Both students of mathematical genetics and historians of the subject will find it a definitive statement of the origins of modern mathematical population genetics.

Foundations of Genetics