Download or read book Maximum Entropy and Ecology written by John Harte and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2011-06-23 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pioneering graduate textbook provides readers with the concepts and practical tools required to understand the maximum entropy principle, and apply it to an understanding of ecological patterns. Rather than building and combining mechanistic models of ecosystems, the approach is grounded in information theory and the logic of inference. Paralleling the derivation of thermodynamics from the maximum entropy principle, the state variable theory of ecology developed in this book predicts realistic forms for all metrics of ecology that describe patterns in the distribution, abundance, and energetics of species over multiple spatial scales, a wide range of habitats, and diverse taxonomic groups. The first part of the book is foundational, discussing the nature of theory, the relationship of ecology to other sciences, and the concept of the logic of inference. Subsequent sections present the fundamentals of macroecology and of maximum information entropy, starting from first principles. The core of the book integrates these fundamental principles, leading to the derivation and testing of the predictions of the maximum entropy theory of ecology (METE). A final section broadens the book's perspective by showing how METE can help clarify several major issues in conservation biology, placing it in context with other theories and highlighting avenues for future research.

Download or read book Computational Molecular Evolution written by Ziheng Yang and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006-10-05 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the models, methods and algorithms that are most useful for analysing the ever-increasing supply of molecular sequence data, with a view to furthering our understanding of the evolution of genes and genomes.

Download or read book Evolutionary Biology written by Michael T. Clegg and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After volume 33, this book series was replaced by the journal "Evolutionary Biology." Please visit www.springer.com/11692 for further information. The nature of science is to work on the boundaries between the known and the unknown. These boundaries shift as new methods are developed and as new concepts are elaborated (e.g., the theory of the gene, or more recently, the coalescence framework in population genetics). These tools allow us to address questions that were previously outside the realm of science, and, as a consequence, the boundary between the knowable and unknowable has shifted. A study of limits should reveal and clarify the boundaries and make sharper the set of questions. This book examines and analyzes these new limits as they are applied to evolutionary biology and population genetics. It does this by framing the analysis within four major classes of problems - establishing the fact of evolution; understanding the evolutionary pathways that led to today's biological world; mechanisms of evolutionary change (e.g., models of social behavior, sexual selection, macro evolution); and, finally, prediction.

Download or read book Evolutionary Biology written by Max K. Hecht and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 676 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first volume of Evolutionary Bio/ogy was published eleven years ago. Since that time eleven volumes and one supplement have appeared. As stated in earlier prefaces, we are continuing the focus of this series on critical reviews, commentaries, original papers, and controversies in evolu tionary biology. lt is our aim to publish papers primarily of greater length than normally published by society journals and quarterlies. We therefore invite colleagues to submit chapters that fall within the focus and standards of Evolutionary Bio/ogy. The Editors vii Contents 1. Precambrian Evolution of Photosynthetic and Respiratory Organisms lohn M. 0/son Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Basic Assumptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Photosynthetic Energy Conversion and Electron Transport . . . . . . . 6 Oxygen-Evolving Organisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Photosynthetic Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Photoassimilation and Cyclic Electron Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . Acetate Assimilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . . . . . . . The Common Ancestor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 . . . . . . . . . . . Chlorophyll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quinone................................................ 19 Linear Electron Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . . . . Light-Harvesting Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . . . . Evolution of Photosynthetic Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . . Purpie and Green Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 . . . . . . . . . Evolution of Blue-Green Algae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 . . . . . . . . Weak Electron Donors for the Protoalgae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 . . . . . Evolution of Respiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . . . . . General Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Molecular Structure and Protein Variation within and among Populations Richard K. Koehn and Waller F. Eanes Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molecular Properlies and Structural Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 . . . . Amino Acid Composition and Quaternary Structure . . . . . . . . 46 . . Protomer Size and Quaternary Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 . . . . . ix X Contents Enzyme Polymorphism and Quaternary Structure . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . Enzyme Polymorphism and Subunit Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 . . . . . . Data and Analyses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 . . . . . . . . . . . Drosophila Enzyme Polymorphism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 . . . . . . . Human Enzyme Polymorphism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 . . . . . . . . Enzyme Polymorphism: Structure and Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 . . . . .

Download or read book Evolutionary Biology written by Max Hecht and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ninth volume of Evolutionary Biology represents a turning point in the history of this series. The death of Theodosius Dobzhansky was a blow to the whole field of evolutionary biology in general, and to his friends and colleagues, including the other two Editors. He played a central role in the selection of areas that were "ripe" for review papers, and his circle of friends, colleagues, and students was so wide that he could always find exactly the most appropriate author and then convince him that he should prepare the paper. Evolutionary Biology was founded in 1966 and the first volume published in 1967. Ten years-and several vicissitudes-later, it seems advisable to restate the original concept of this serial publication. The Preface of Volume 1 says, simply, We have conceived this serial as a forum in which critical reviews and com mentaries, as well as original papers and even controversial views, can be brought together to cover a broad range of interest with provocative discussion. Evolutionary Biology will provide research workers and students with an excep tional opportunity to read expert presentations of developments in areas of their field in which they are not specialists, and as specialists they will see how others assess these developments. An important feature is that contributions are not necessarily limited in length, subject, and other restrictions that usually prevail in basic research journals.

Download or read book 50 Great Myths of Human Evolution written by John H. Relethford and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-01-17 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 50 Great Myths of Human Evolution uses common misconceptions to explore basic theory and research in human evolution and strengthen critical thinking skills for lay readers and students. Examines intriguing—yet widely misunderstood—topics, from general ideas about evolution and human origins to the evolution of modern humans and recent trends in the field Describes what fossils, archaeology, and genetics can tell us about human origins Demonstrates the ways in which science adapts and changes over time to incorporate new evidence and better explanations Includes myths such as “Humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs;” “Lucy was so small because she was a child;” “Our ancestors have always made fire;” and “There is a strong relationship between brain size and intelligence” Comprised of stand-alone essays that are perfect for casual reading, as well as footnotes and references that allow readers to delve more deeply into topics

Download or read book Evolution of Sleep written by Patrick McNamara and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and biological anthropology and to biomedical researchers studying sleep medicine.

Download or read book Evolutionary Biology written by Theodosius Dobzhansky and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1 On Some Fundamental Concepts of Darwinian Biology.- Vitalism, Mechanism, and Compositionism.- Adaptedness and Adaptation.- Adaptedness to Survive and to Reproduce.- Adaptability.- Evolutionary Plasticity.- The Problem of Quantification of Adaptedness.- Darwinian Fitness.- Varieties of Natural Selection.- Darwinian Fitness and Adaptedness.- Evolutionary Opportunism and Adaptive Radiation.- Progressive Evolution.- References.- 2 Cave Ecology and the Evolution of Troglobites.- Animal Life in Caves.- The Cave Ecosystem.- Regressive Evolution in Cave Animals.- Speciation and Adaptation in Troglob.

Download or read book Software Evolution and Feedback written by Nazim H. Madhavji and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2006-08-30 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolution of software has long been recognized as one of the most problematic and challenging areas in the field of software engineering, as evidenced by the high, often up to 60-80%, life-cycle costs attributed to this activity over the life of a software system. Studies of software evolution are central to the understanding and practice of software development. Yet it has received relatively little attention in the field of software engineering. This book focuses on topics aimed at giving a scientific insight into the aspect of software evolution and feedback. In summary, the book covers conceptual, phenomenological, empirical, technological and theoretical aspects of the field of software evolution - with contributions from the leading experts. This book delivers an up-to-date scientific understanding of what software evolution is, to show why it is inevitable for real world applications, and it demonstrates the role of feedback in software development and maintenance. The book also addresses some of the phenomenological and technological underpinnings and includes rules and guidelines for increased software evolvability and, in general, sustainability of the evolution process. Software Evolution and Feedback provides a long overdue, scientific focus on software evolution and the role of feedback in the software process, making this the indispensable guide for all software practitioners, researchers and managers in the software industry.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-04-14 with total page 2138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology, Four Volume Set is the definitive go-to reference in the field of evolutionary biology. It provides a fully comprehensive review of the field in an easy to search structure. Under the collective leadership of fifteen distinguished section editors, it is comprised of articles written by leading experts in the field, providing a full review of the current status of each topic. The articles are up-to-date and fully illustrated with in-text references that allow readers to easily access primary literature. While all entries are authoritative and valuable to those with advanced understanding of evolutionary biology, they are also intended to be accessible to both advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Broad topics include the history of evolutionary biology, population genetics, quantitative genetics; speciation, life history evolution, evolution of sex and mating systems, evolutionary biogeography, evolutionary developmental biology, molecular and genome evolution, coevolution, phylogenetic methods, microbial evolution, diversification of plants and fungi, diversification of animals, and applied evolution. Presents fully comprehensive content, allowing easy access to fundamental information and links to primary research Contains concise articles by leading experts in the field that ensures current coverage of each topic Provides ancillary learning tools like tables, illustrations, and multimedia features to assist with the comprehension process

Download or read book Aerodynamics of Large Bridges written by Allan Larsen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-10-19 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As bridges spans get longer, lighter and more slender, aerodynamic loads become a matter of serious study. This volume of proceedings reflect the co-operation between civil and mechanical engineering and meteorology in this field.

Download or read book Stochastic Dynamics Filtering and Optimization written by Debasish Roy and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-05-04 with total page 749 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces essential concepts in stochastic processes that interface seamlessly with applications of interest in science and engineering.

Download or read book Biological Systematics written by Randall T. Schuh and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2011-04-15 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biological Systematics: Principles and Applications draws equally from examples in botany and zoology to provide a modern account of cladistic principles and techniques. It is a core systematics textbook with a focus on parsimony-based approaches for students and biologists interested in systematics and comparative biology. Randall T. Schuh and Andrew V. Z. Brower cover: -the history and philosophy of systematics and nomenclature; -the mechanics and methods of analysis and evaluation of results; -the practical applications of results and wider relevance within biological classification, biogeography, adaptation and coevolution, biodiversity, and conservation; and -software applications. This new and thoroughly revised edition reflects the exponential growth in the use of DNA sequence data in systematics. New data techniques and a notable increase in the number of examples from molecular systematics will be of interest to students increasingly involved in molecular and genetic work.

Download or read book American Book Publishing Record written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 746 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book PEAK EVOLUTION Beyond Peak Performance and Peak Experience written by Lauren Holmes and published by Frontiering. This book was released on 2010-05-31 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the second edition of the powerful peak evolution paradigm shift. It is the means to leave a lifetime legacy more profound, more meaningful, more impactful, and more valuable to world progress than you thought yourself capable of contributing. Peak Evolution offers a breakthrough new approach to achieving the most evolved states known to mankind. It is a means to have right now the advanced functionality of the future human which will not be prevalent for generations. Peak Evolution serves as an explanation and beacon for people who have spontaneously begun to evolve ahead of the general population, and a road map for those who wish to proactively speed evolution. Peak Evolution is a how-to book for achieving beyond your innate potential by harnessing natural evolutionary forces attempting to ensure the survival and peak performance of all living systems. The multitude of systems inside of our bodies or outside of us in a biological ecosystem, for example, are both kept in balance by these natural evolutionary forces. It is therefore only logical to deduce that those same evolutionary forces are also acting upon us directly. Our cultures have simply interfered with our ability to comply with and capitalize on these forces. Peak Evolution identifies ten signals of those powerful evolutionary forces operating in your life so you can harness that flow to function and achieve goals beyond your potential. Your capabilities are extended by the knowledge, intelligence, mechanisms, processes, and creativity of nature. When you align your internal drives with nature's drives, you cannot help but shift into overdrive. You are perpetually pulled beyond your previous potential into a state of accelerating evolution or 'peak evolution'. This is how ordinary people have been capable of extraordinary achievements.

Download or read book Applications of Statistics and Probability in Civil Engineering written by Michael Faber and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2011-07-15 with total page 938 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Under the pressure of harsh environmental conditions and natural hazards, large parts of the world population are struggling to maintain their livelihoods. Population growth, increasing land utilization and shrinking natural resources have led to an increasing demand of improved efficiency of existing technologies and the development of new ones. A

Download or read book The Nature of Diversity written by Daniel R. Brooks and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2002-05-02 with total page 682 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All living things on earth—from individual species to entire ecosystems—have evolved through time, and evolution is the acknowledged framework of modern biology. Yet many areas of biology have moved from a focus on evolution to much narrower perspectives. Daniel R. Brooks and Deborah A. McLennan argue that it is impossible to comprehend the nature of life on earth unless evolution—the history of organisms—is restored to a central position in research. They demonstrate how the phylogenetic approach can be integrated with ecological and behavioral studies to produce a richer and more complete picture of evolution. Clearly setting out the conceptual, methodological, and empirical foundations of their research program, Brooks and McLennan show how scientists can use it to unravel the evolutionary history of virtually any characteristic of any living thing, from behaviors to ecosystems. They illustrate and test their approach with examples drawn from a wide variety of species and habitats. The Nature of Diversity provides a powerful new tool for understanding, documenting, and preserving the world's biodiversity. It is an essential book for biologists working in evolution, ecology, behavior, conservation, and systematics. The argument in The Nature of Diversity greatly expands upon and refines the arguments made in the authors' previous book Phylogeny, Ecology, and Behavior.