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Information about Ecological Genetics

For the book see Ecological Genetics (book)
Ecological genetics is the study of genetics in the context of the interactions among organisms and between the organisms and their environment. While molecular genetics studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level, ecological genetics (and the related field of population genetics) studies phenotypic evolution in natural populations of organisms. Research in this field is of traits of ecological significance — that is, traits related to fitness, which affect an organism's survival and reproduction (e.g., flowering time, drought tolerance, sex ratio).

Studies are often done on insects and other organisms that have short generation times, and thus evolve at fast rates.

History

Although work on natural populations had been done previously, it is acknowledged that the field was founded by the English biologist E.B. Ford (1901-1988) in the early 20th century. Ford was taught genetics at Oxford University by Julian Huxley, and started research on the genetics of natural populations in 1924. Ecological Genetics is the title of his 1964 'magnum opus' on the subject (4th ed 1975). Other notable ecological geneticists would include Theodosius Dobzhansky who worked on chromosome polymorphism in fruit flies. As a young researcher in Russia, Dobzhansky had been influenced by Sergei Chetverikov, who also deserves to be remembered as a founder of genetics in the field, though his significance was not appreciated until much later.

Philip Sheppard, Cyril Clarke, Bernard Kettlewell and A.J. Cain were all strongly influenced by Ford; their careers date from the post WWII era. Collectively, their work on lepidoptera, and on human blood groups, established the field, and threw light on selection in natural populations where its role had been once doubted.

Work of this kind needs long-term funding, as well as grounding in both ecology and genetics. These are both difficult requirements. Research projects can last longer than a researcher's career; for instance, research into mimicry started 150 years ago, and is still going strongly. Funding of this type of research is still rather erratic, but at least the value of working with natural populations in the field cannot now be doubted.

More detail on Ecological genetics may be obtained in Polymorphism (biology).

See also

References

  • Ford E.B. (1964). Ecological Genetics
  • Cain A.J. and W.B. Provine (1992). Genes and ecology in history. In: R.J. Berry, T.J. Crawford and G.M. Hewitt (eds). Genes in Ecology. Blackwell Scientific: Oxford. (Provides a good historical background)
  • Conner, J.K. and Hartl, D. L. "A Primer of Ecological Genetics". Sinauer Associates, Inc.; Sunderland, Mass. (2004) Provides basic and intermediate level processes and methods.
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Subfields of genetics
Main subjectsClassical genetics Ecological genetics Molecular genetics Population genetics Quantitative genetics Immunogenetics
Related topicsGeneticist Genomics Medical genetics Reverse genetics Molecular evolution


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Basic topics in
Ecological Genetics is a 1964 book by the British ecological geneticist E.B. Ford on ecological genetics. Ford founded the field and it is considered his magnum opus. The fourth and final edition was published in 1975.
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Genetics is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms.[1][2] Knowledge of the inheritance of characteristics has been implicitly used since prehistoric times for improving crop plants and animals through selective breeding.
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Molecular genetics is the field of biology which studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology.
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Population genetics is the study of the allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four evolutionary forces: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow. It also takes account of population subdivision and population structure in space.
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Fitness (often denoted in population genetics models) is a central concept in evolutionary theory. It describes the capability of an individual of certain genotype to reproduce, and usually is equal to the proportion of the individual's genes in all the genes of the next generation.
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Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms.
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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Professor Edmund Brisco "Henry" Ford, FRS, Hon. FRCP (23rd April 1901-2nd January 1988) was a British ecological geneticist. He was a leader among those British biologists who investigated the role of natural selection in nature.
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University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. for post-nominals, from "Oxoniensis"), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
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For the Australian rugby union player, see .


Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS (22 June 1887–14 February 1975) was an English evolutionary biologist, humanist and internationalist.
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Theodosius Grygorovych Dobzhansky, also known as T. G. Dobzhansky, and sometimes Anglicized to Theodore Dobzhansky (Ukrainian — Теодосій Григорович
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Fruit fly may refer to:
  • Tephritidae, the family of large fruit flies.
  • Drosophilidae, the family of small fruit flies or vinegar flies, including:
  • Drosophila melanogaster, often called the common fruit fly

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Sergei Sergeevich Chetverikov (1880-1959) was one of founders of genetics in natural populations and hence a contributor to the synthetic theory of evolution. Some of his ideas have stood the test of time, and some have not: he was generally right about mutation and the importance
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Professor Philip MacDonald Sheppard, F.R.S. (27 July 1921–17 October 1976) was a British geneticist and lepidopterist. He made advances in ecological and population genetics in lepidoptera, pulmonate land snails and humans.
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Sir Cyril Astley Clarke (22 August 1907–21 November 2000) was a British physician, geneticist and lepidopterist. He is well known for his pioneering work on prevention of Rh disease of the newborn, and also for his work on butterfly and moth genetics.
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Henry Bernard Davis Kettlewell (24 February 1907 - 1979) was a British geneticist, lepidopterist and medical doctor, who carried out important research into the influence of industrial melanism on natural selection in moths, showing why moths are darker in polluted areas.
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Professor Arthur James Cain FRS (25 July 1921 – 20 August 1999) was a British evolutionary biologist and ecologist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1989.
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Clipper Parthenos sylvia]]
The Clipper Parthenos sylvia


Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda
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Blood type (or blood group) is determined, in part, by the ABO blood group antigens present on red blood cells.]] A blood type (also called a blood group) is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of
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Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different types exist in the same population of the same species— in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph. The caste system in ants is an example.
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Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of an antibiotic. It is a specific type of drug resistance. Antibiotic resistance evolves naturally via natural selection through random mutation, but it could also be engineered.
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Biston

Species: B. betularia

Binomial name
Biston betularia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subspecies

B. b. betularia
B. b.
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C. dominula

Binomial name
Callimorpha dominula
Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms

Panaxia dominula

The Scarlet Tiger Moth (Callimorpha dominula, formerly
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Pesticide resistance is the evolution of pest species targeted by a pesticide resulting in decreased susceptibility to that chemical. In other words, pests develop a resistance to a chemical through artificial selection; after they are exposed to a pesticide for a prolonged period
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Professor Edmund Brisco "Henry" Ford, FRS, Hon. FRCP (23rd April 1901-2nd January 1988) was a British ecological geneticist. He was a leader among those British biologists who investigated the role of natural selection in nature.
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1930s  1940s  1950s  - 1960s -  1970s  1980s  1990s
1961 1962 1963 - 1964 - 1965 1966 1967

Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator).

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1960s  1970s  1980s  - 1990s -  2000s  2010s  2020s
1989 1990 1991 - 1992 - 1993 1994 1995

Year 1992 (MCMXCII
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Genetics is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms.[1][2] Knowledge of the inheritance of characteristics has been implicitly used since prehistoric times for improving crop plants and animals through selective breeding.
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Overview

Classical genetics consists of the techniques and methodologies of genetics that predate the advent of molecular biology. A key discovery of classical genetics in eukaryotes was genetic linkage.
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