Introduction to Ecological Genomics

by van Straalen, Nico M.; Roelofs, Dick

• ISBN13: 9780199594696
• ISBN10: 0199594694
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The genomics revolution has expanded from its origins in molecular biology to impact upon every discipline in the life sciences, including ecology. Several lines of ecological research can now be profitably addressed using genomics technology, including issues of nutrient cycling, population structure, life-history variation, trophic interaction, stress responses, and adaptation to environmental change. This new edition addresses a series of fundamental ecological questions: the relationship between community structure and ecological function in ecosystems; how variation in life-history patterns among species can be explained from interaction between the genome and the environment; the molecular responses to changing and toxic environmental conditions; adaptive phenotypes and their relationship to genetic variation. Each of these questions is evaluated in the light of recent advances in genomics research, paying particular attention to data obtained from sequencing and screening of environmental genomes (metagenomics), microarray-based transcription profiling, gene expression directed by signal-transduction pathways, and the analysis of genomic polymorphisms. The chapters covering these key areas are preceded by discussions of genomics methodology (including an overview of next-generation sequencing technologies) and comparative genomics, and the book concludes with a chapter on integrative approaches such as ecological control analysis. The authors also provide a comparative survey of the properties of genomes (genome size, gene families, synteny, and polymorphism) for prokaryotes as well as the main eukaryotic models. An Introduction to Ecological Genomicsincorporates a balance of plant, animal, and microbial examples, and continues to define the new and exciting field of ecological genomics.

Table of Contents

Ecological genomics and genome analysis	p. 1
The genomics revolution invading ecology	p. 1
Yeast, fly, worm, and weed	p. 3
-Omics speak	p. 9
Genome analysis	p. 15
Comparing genomes	p. 38
Properties of genomes	p. 38
Prokaryotic genomes	p. 52
Eukaryotic genomes	p. 64
Structure and function in communities	p. 96
The biodiversity and ecosystem functioning synthetic framework	p. 96
Measurement of microbial biodiversity	p. 98
Microbial genomics of biogeochemical cycles	p. 113
Reconstruction of functions from environmental genomes	p. 129
Genomic approaches to biodiversity and ecosystem function: an appraisal	p. 146
Life-history patterns	p. 148
The core of life-history theory	p. 148
Longevity and aging	p. 153
Gene-expression profiles in the life cycle	p. 167
Phenotypic plasticity of life-history traits	p. 182
Genomic approaches to life-history patterns: an appraisal	p. 192
Stress responses	p. 195
Stress and the ecological niche	p. 195
The main defence mechanisms against cellular stress	p. 198
Heat, cold, drought, salt, and hypoxia	p. 217
Herbivory and microbial infection	p. 226
Toxic substances	p. 234
Genomic approaches to ecological stress: an appraisal	p. 243
Variation and adaptation	p. 245
The internal tangled bank	p. 245
Genomic polymorphisms	p. 247
Regulatory and structural change	p. 267
Epigenetic variation and developmental change	p. 287
Genomic approaches to variation and adaption: an appraisal	p. 300
Integrative ecological genomics	p. 302
The need for integration: systems biology	p. 302
Ecological control analysis	p. 307
Outlook	p. 311
References	p. 315
Index	p. 351
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.