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Contents:

1 - Space-time population genetics; 2 - Geographical patterns observed in nature; 3 - Ancient events in spatial-temporal processes; 4 - Spatial and space-time statistics; 5 - Theory of genetics as stochastic spatial-temporal processes; 6 - Synthesis: tying spatial patterns among populations to space-time processes; 8 - Statistical methods for spatial structure; 9 - Theory of spatial structure within populations; 10 - Emerging studies.

Review:

Most texts in population genetics look at ecology. However, populations live in space and this needs to be taken into account although it is often ignored or downplayed.

In this book, the aim is to redress the balance by providing an overview of the topic focussing on three elements: that spatial structure is interdependent with much of population genetics; that spatial patterns can be used to study genetics and that populations show strong spatial patterns. There's also the issue that inter and intra population studies need a different approach. From this introduction, chapter two looks at genetic patterns with a geographical bias i.e. the impact that distance and migration have on genetics. Chapter three adds another dimension by looking at the influence of time in the spatial process using the out-of-Africa hypothesis as a case study. Chapter four is more technically oriented by looking at the range of statistics that can be used whilst chapter five examines the theory of genetics in terms of the probabilities of migration. Chapter six brings together all the work to this point to produce a synthesis of how and why space/time patterns might develop. The remaining chapters look at some element of the development of this field. Chapter seven examines changes within populations using a range of case studies to illustrate this. Chapters 8 and 9 look at the development of statistics and genetic theory to show what this can mean to models. A final chapter shows how this relatively new branch is developing.

This is an advanced text needing some grounding in the subject to appreciate fully the material within it. It should be a valuable addition to work at the undergraduate level whilst teachers can see how genetics can help ecology.