Phylogeny: Discrete and Random Processes in Evolution (CBMS-NSF Regional Conference Series in Applied Mathematics, Series Number 89) - Softcover

Steel, Mike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 161197447X ISBN 13: 9781611974478

Publisher: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, 2016

Synopsis

Phylogenetics is a growing area of research. Phylogenies (phylogenetic trees and networks) allow biologists to study and graph evolutionary relationships between different species. These are also used to investigate other evolutionary processes, including how languages developed or how different strains of a virus are related to each other. This self-contained book addresses the underlying mathematical theory behind the reconstruction and analysis of phylogenies. The theory is grounded in classical concepts from discrete mathematics and probability theory as well as techniques from other branches of mathematics (algebra, topology, differential equations). The biological relevance of the results is highlighted throughout, and the author supplies both proofs of classical theorems and results not covered in existing books. Relevant mathematical results derived over the past twenty years are emphasised, and numerous exercises, examples and figures are provided. The book will be ideal for any applied mathematician, biomathematician, discrete mathematician, systematic biologist, or computer scientist specialising in algorithms or bioinformatics.

About this title

About the Author

Mike Steel is a Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, where he is also Director of the Biomathematics Research Centre. He is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a recipient of the New Zealand Mathematical Society's annual Research Award. His research interests include combinatorics and random processes, and their applications to questions in evolutionary biology and related areas of sciences, specifically phylogenetic theory and methods. Additional research interests include autocatalytic networks in the origin of life, inverting random functions in mathematical statistics, and questions in the philosophy of science concerning causality and information loss. He has published approximately 240 academic papers, co-authored two books on phylogenetics, and served as associate editor of various journals, including the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology and Systematic Biology.

Edition details

• Publisher: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 161197447X
• ISBN 13: 9781611974478
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 308