ENGLISH

The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution

By Motoo Kimura

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1985
ISBN
0521317932, 9780521317931
Google Books ID
olIoSumPevYC
Open Library ID
OL18462744M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
52 MB (54758388 bytes)
Pages
381\381
Scanned
yes
Time added
2012-02-04 16:00:00

Description

Motoo Kimura, as founder of the neutral theory, is uniquely placed to write this book. He first proposed the theory in 1968 to explain the unexpectedly high rate of evolutionary change and very large amount of intraspecific variability at the molecular level that had been uncovered by new techniques in molecular biology. The theory - which asserts that the great majority of evolutionary changes at the molecular level are caused not by Darwinian selection but by random drift of selectively neutral mutants - has caused controversy ever since. This book is the first comprehensive treatment of this subject and the author synthesises a wealth of material - ranging from a historical perspective, through recent molecular discoveries, to sophisticated mathematical arguments - all presented in a most lucid manner.

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