David P. Hughes and Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199216840
- eISBN:
- 9780191712043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216840.003.0017
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
As evidenced by this contributed volume communication is multifarious. It exists among organisms but also between cells and in networks, and even possesses inorganic properties as a result of ...
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As evidenced by this contributed volume communication is multifarious. It exists among organisms but also between cells and in networks, and even possesses inorganic properties as a result of collective organization. The approaches that can be adopted to study communication are similarly varied — from the mechanistic to the functional, and from cell biology to linguistics. This book has formulated the synthesis that this volume has achieved in a personal sociobiological view that encompasses both a reductionist and a systems biology view. The expanding toolbox with which to dissect mechanisms requires a robust interdisciplinary logic and sound theory to achieve the functional balance needed to make further progress in the evolutionary study of communication.Less
As evidenced by this contributed volume communication is multifarious. It exists among organisms but also between cells and in networks, and even possesses inorganic properties as a result of collective organization. The approaches that can be adopted to study communication are similarly varied — from the mechanistic to the functional, and from cell biology to linguistics. This book has formulated the synthesis that this volume has achieved in a personal sociobiological view that encompasses both a reductionist and a systems biology view. The expanding toolbox with which to dissect mechanisms requires a robust interdisciplinary logic and sound theory to achieve the functional balance needed to make further progress in the evolutionary study of communication.
Michael Doebeli
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691128931
- eISBN:
- 9781400838936
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691128931.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
Understanding the mechanisms driving biological diversity remains a central problem in ecology and evolutionary biology. Traditional explanations assume that differences in selection pressures lead ...
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Understanding the mechanisms driving biological diversity remains a central problem in ecology and evolutionary biology. Traditional explanations assume that differences in selection pressures lead to different adaptations in geographically separated locations. This book takes a different approach and explores adaptive diversification—diversification rooted in ecological interactions and frequency-dependent selection. In any ecosystem, birth and death rates of individuals are affected by interactions with other individuals. What is an advantageous phenotype therefore depends on the phenotype of other individuals, and it may often be best to be ecologically different from the majority phenotype. Such rare-type advantage is a hallmark of frequency-dependent selection and opens the scope for processes of diversification that require ecological contact rather than geographical isolation. This book investigates adaptive diversification using the mathematical framework of adaptive dynamics. Evolutionary branching is a paradigmatic feature of adaptive dynamics that serves as a basic metaphor for adaptive diversification, and the book explores the scope of evolutionary branching in many different ecological scenarios, including models of coevolution, cooperation, and cultural evolution. It also uses alternative modeling approaches. Stochastic, individual-based models are particularly useful for studying adaptive speciation in sexual populations, and partial differential equation models confirm the pervasiveness of adaptive diversification. Showing that frequency-dependent interactions are an important driver of biological diversity, the book provides a comprehensive theoretical treatment of adaptive diversification.Less
Understanding the mechanisms driving biological diversity remains a central problem in ecology and evolutionary biology. Traditional explanations assume that differences in selection pressures lead to different adaptations in geographically separated locations. This book takes a different approach and explores adaptive diversification—diversification rooted in ecological interactions and frequency-dependent selection. In any ecosystem, birth and death rates of individuals are affected by interactions with other individuals. What is an advantageous phenotype therefore depends on the phenotype of other individuals, and it may often be best to be ecologically different from the majority phenotype. Such rare-type advantage is a hallmark of frequency-dependent selection and opens the scope for processes of diversification that require ecological contact rather than geographical isolation. This book investigates adaptive diversification using the mathematical framework of adaptive dynamics. Evolutionary branching is a paradigmatic feature of adaptive dynamics that serves as a basic metaphor for adaptive diversification, and the book explores the scope of evolutionary branching in many different ecological scenarios, including models of coevolution, cooperation, and cultural evolution. It also uses alternative modeling approaches. Stochastic, individual-based models are particularly useful for studying adaptive speciation in sexual populations, and partial differential equation models confirm the pervasiveness of adaptive diversification. Showing that frequency-dependent interactions are an important driver of biological diversity, the book provides a comprehensive theoretical treatment of adaptive diversification.
Roger Cousens, Calvin Dytham, and Richard Law
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199299126
- eISBN:
- 9780191715006
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299126.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
This chapter considers aspects of the maternal parent, other than the tissues immediately around the seed, which contribute to the distances dispersed by plant propagules. It shows how plant ...
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This chapter considers aspects of the maternal parent, other than the tissues immediately around the seed, which contribute to the distances dispersed by plant propagules. It shows how plant phenotype, the abiotic environment, competition, and herbivory all help to determine where the trajectories of propagules begin. Plant phenology dictates when the force required separating the propagule from its parent is at a minimum, and therefore when the trajectory is likely to begin. This can be critical for the survival of animal vectors as well as for movement of seeds contained in fruits. In some cases, the parent provides an additional force to launch the propagule away from its parent.Less
This chapter considers aspects of the maternal parent, other than the tissues immediately around the seed, which contribute to the distances dispersed by plant propagules. It shows how plant phenotype, the abiotic environment, competition, and herbivory all help to determine where the trajectories of propagules begin. Plant phenology dictates when the force required separating the propagule from its parent is at a minimum, and therefore when the trajectory is likely to begin. This can be critical for the survival of animal vectors as well as for movement of seeds contained in fruits. In some cases, the parent provides an additional force to launch the propagule away from its parent.
Patrizia d'Ettorre and Allen J Moore
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199216840
- eISBN:
- 9780191712043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216840.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Effective communication, often involving pheromones, is a fundamental component of social life. Communication requires interactions to be expressed and it is convenient to consider communication ...
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Effective communication, often involving pheromones, is a fundamental component of social life. Communication requires interactions to be expressed and it is convenient to consider communication within the context of the theory of interacting phenotypes — those phenotypes that have reduced or no meaning outside of a social context. Pheromonal communication will therefore be subject to social selection and indirect genetic effects and is often highly sophisticated and multifaceted, allowing fine-tuned coordination of messages from senders and receivers. Pheromones can be characterized by nested levels of variation: a multi-component structure in which individual components contain additional source of variation. An integrated understanding of communication by multi-component chemical signals provides insight into the evolution of social signals in general. Insects are ideal model systems to investigate and disentangle the complexity of pheromones and reveal the underestimated potential for reliability that appears to be hidden in chemical signals and their evolutionary stability.Less
Effective communication, often involving pheromones, is a fundamental component of social life. Communication requires interactions to be expressed and it is convenient to consider communication within the context of the theory of interacting phenotypes — those phenotypes that have reduced or no meaning outside of a social context. Pheromonal communication will therefore be subject to social selection and indirect genetic effects and is often highly sophisticated and multifaceted, allowing fine-tuned coordination of messages from senders and receivers. Pheromones can be characterized by nested levels of variation: a multi-component structure in which individual components contain additional source of variation. An integrated understanding of communication by multi-component chemical signals provides insight into the evolution of social signals in general. Insects are ideal model systems to investigate and disentangle the complexity of pheromones and reveal the underestimated potential for reliability that appears to be hidden in chemical signals and their evolutionary stability.
Kim Cornish and John Wilding
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195179941
- eISBN:
- 9780199864652
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179941.001.0001
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development
What is attention? How does it go wrong? Do attention deficits arise from genes or from the environment? Can we cure it with drugs or training? Are there disorders of attention other than deficit ...
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What is attention? How does it go wrong? Do attention deficits arise from genes or from the environment? Can we cure it with drugs or training? Are there disorders of attention other than deficit disorders? The past decade has seen a burgeoning of research on the subject of attention. This research has been facilitated by advances on several fronts: New methods are now available for viewing brain activity in real time, there is expanding information on the complexities of the biochemistry of neural activity, individual genes can be isolated and their functions identified, analysis of the component processes included under the broad umbrella of “attention” has become increasingly sophisticated, and ingenious methods have been devised for measuring typical and atypical development of these processes, from infancy into childhood, and then into adulthood. This book is concerned with attention and its development, both typical and atypical, particularly in disorders with a known genetic etiology or assumed genetic linkage. Tremendous advances across seemingly diverse disciplines — molecular genetics, pediatric neurology, child psychiatry, developmental cognitive neuroscience, and education s— have culminated in a wealth of new methods for elucidating disorders at multiple levels, possibly paving the way for new treatment options. The book uses three specific-yet-interlinking levels of analysis: genetic blueprint (genotype), the developing brain, and the behavioral-cognitive outcomes (phenotype), as the basis for charting the attention profiles of six well-documented neurodevelopmental disorders: ADHD, autism, fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and 22q11 deletion syndrome.Less
What is attention? How does it go wrong? Do attention deficits arise from genes or from the environment? Can we cure it with drugs or training? Are there disorders of attention other than deficit disorders? The past decade has seen a burgeoning of research on the subject of attention. This research has been facilitated by advances on several fronts: New methods are now available for viewing brain activity in real time, there is expanding information on the complexities of the biochemistry of neural activity, individual genes can be isolated and their functions identified, analysis of the component processes included under the broad umbrella of “attention” has become increasingly sophisticated, and ingenious methods have been devised for measuring typical and atypical development of these processes, from infancy into childhood, and then into adulthood. This book is concerned with attention and its development, both typical and atypical, particularly in disorders with a known genetic etiology or assumed genetic linkage. Tremendous advances across seemingly diverse disciplines — molecular genetics, pediatric neurology, child psychiatry, developmental cognitive neuroscience, and education s— have culminated in a wealth of new methods for elucidating disorders at multiple levels, possibly paving the way for new treatment options. The book uses three specific-yet-interlinking levels of analysis: genetic blueprint (genotype), the developing brain, and the behavioral-cognitive outcomes (phenotype), as the basis for charting the attention profiles of six well-documented neurodevelopmental disorders: ADHD, autism, fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and 22q11 deletion syndrome.
F. Nicholas Braun
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199299188
- eISBN:
- 9780191714979
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299188.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The extant phylogenetic variability of a given protein contains information about its underlying sequence-fitness landscape, potentially of value to ancestral reconstruction. In extracting such ...
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The extant phylogenetic variability of a given protein contains information about its underlying sequence-fitness landscape, potentially of value to ancestral reconstruction. In extracting such information, it is pertinent to focus on coarse-grained traits of sequence with strong physicochemical bearing on the protein's phenotype. This chapter uses phylogenetic data to stake out roughly the landscape for a protein component of spider silk.Less
The extant phylogenetic variability of a given protein contains information about its underlying sequence-fitness landscape, potentially of value to ancestral reconstruction. In extracting such information, it is pertinent to focus on coarse-grained traits of sequence with strong physicochemical bearing on the protein's phenotype. This chapter uses phylogenetic data to stake out roughly the landscape for a protein component of spider silk.
Michael Doebeli
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691128931
- eISBN:
- 9781400838936
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691128931.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter discusses partial differential equation models. Partial differential equations can describe the dynamics of phenotype distributions of polymorphic populations, and they allow for a ...
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This chapter discusses partial differential equation models. Partial differential equations can describe the dynamics of phenotype distributions of polymorphic populations, and they allow for a mathematically concise formulation from which some analytical insights can be obtained. It has been argued that because partial differential equations can describe polymorphic populations, results from such models are fundamentally different from those obtained using adaptive dynamics. In partial differential equation models, diversification manifests itself as pattern formation in phenotype distribution. More precisely, diversification occurs when phenotype distributions become multimodal, with the different modes corresponding to phenotypic clusters, or to species in sexual models. Such pattern formation occurs in partial differential equation models for competitive as well as for predator–prey interactions.Less
This chapter discusses partial differential equation models. Partial differential equations can describe the dynamics of phenotype distributions of polymorphic populations, and they allow for a mathematically concise formulation from which some analytical insights can be obtained. It has been argued that because partial differential equations can describe polymorphic populations, results from such models are fundamentally different from those obtained using adaptive dynamics. In partial differential equation models, diversification manifests itself as pattern formation in phenotype distribution. More precisely, diversification occurs when phenotype distributions become multimodal, with the different modes corresponding to phenotypic clusters, or to species in sexual models. Such pattern formation occurs in partial differential equation models for competitive as well as for predator–prey interactions.
James A.R. Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161563
- eISBN:
- 9781400866564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161563.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter examines social behaviors that are expressed conditional on the phenotype of others. David Queller argued that inclusive fitness analyses need to be done on a per-behavior basis, citing ...
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This chapter examines social behaviors that are expressed conditional on the phenotype of others. David Queller argued that inclusive fitness analyses need to be done on a per-behavior basis, citing as an example the decision over whether to reproduce directly, and whether to aid a reproductive. Queller showed that inclusive fitness predictions are only sensible when one analyzes what an individual should do, given it finds itself in a particular behavioral role. The chapter first provides an overview of implicit and explicit conditionality and presents two classic examples: William D. Hamilton's greenbeard traits and Robert Trivers's theory of reciprocal cooperation. It also introduces an extension of Hamilton's rule to deal with explicitly conditional behaviors; this extension features a measure of phenotypic assortment that appears not to be the classic genetic relatedness of Hamilton's rule.Less
This chapter examines social behaviors that are expressed conditional on the phenotype of others. David Queller argued that inclusive fitness analyses need to be done on a per-behavior basis, citing as an example the decision over whether to reproduce directly, and whether to aid a reproductive. Queller showed that inclusive fitness predictions are only sensible when one analyzes what an individual should do, given it finds itself in a particular behavioral role. The chapter first provides an overview of implicit and explicit conditionality and presents two classic examples: William D. Hamilton's greenbeard traits and Robert Trivers's theory of reciprocal cooperation. It also introduces an extension of Hamilton's rule to deal with explicitly conditional behaviors; this extension features a measure of phenotypic assortment that appears not to be the classic genetic relatedness of Hamilton's rule.
James A.R. Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161563
- eISBN:
- 9781400866564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161563.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter examines four variants of Hamilton's rule and how they give different evolutionary explanations for certain social behaviors such as greenbeard traits. These variants are: HR1, which ...
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This chapter examines four variants of Hamilton's rule and how they give different evolutionary explanations for certain social behaviors such as greenbeard traits. These variants are: HR1, which extends Hamilton's rule with a synergistic coefficient capturing the deviation from additivity of fitness interactions; HR2, which deals with the conditional expression of phenotype; HR3, which is concerned with fitness as partial regression; and HR4, the geometric view of relatedness. These variants differ in how they treat the three key parameters of the original: “relatedness,” “cost,” and “benefit.” The chapter also considers how the nongenetic explanation of the evolution of altruism can actually be recast in a version with genetic relatedness, and how geometric relatedness underlies phenotypic assortment. Finally, it discusses different viewpoints on conditional behaviors.Less
This chapter examines four variants of Hamilton's rule and how they give different evolutionary explanations for certain social behaviors such as greenbeard traits. These variants are: HR1, which extends Hamilton's rule with a synergistic coefficient capturing the deviation from additivity of fitness interactions; HR2, which deals with the conditional expression of phenotype; HR3, which is concerned with fitness as partial regression; and HR4, the geometric view of relatedness. These variants differ in how they treat the three key parameters of the original: “relatedness,” “cost,” and “benefit.” The chapter also considers how the nongenetic explanation of the evolution of altruism can actually be recast in a version with genetic relatedness, and how geometric relatedness underlies phenotypic assortment. Finally, it discusses different viewpoints on conditional behaviors.
James A.R. Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161563
- eISBN:
- 9781400866564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161563.003.0008
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter examines which of the equivalent alternative partitions of fitness, including inclusive fitness and group fitness, can be interpreted as being subject to natural selection in a ...
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This chapter examines which of the equivalent alternative partitions of fitness, including inclusive fitness and group fitness, can be interpreted as being subject to natural selection in a meaningful way. Inclusive fitness theory can deal with subtleties such as nonadditive fitness effects and conditionally expressed phenotypes. However, selection based on inclusive fitness gives equivalent predictions to other models of apparently different evolutionary processes, such as multilevel selection. The chapter considers how we can determine whether inclusive fitness really captures the essence of social evolution and whether inclusive fitness is really maximized by the action of selection, as suggested by William D. Hamilton. It also explains what heritability measures, and whether this makes sense biologically. Finally, it discusses the problem of classifying observed social behaviors in terms of their underlying evolutionary explanations.Less
This chapter examines which of the equivalent alternative partitions of fitness, including inclusive fitness and group fitness, can be interpreted as being subject to natural selection in a meaningful way. Inclusive fitness theory can deal with subtleties such as nonadditive fitness effects and conditionally expressed phenotypes. However, selection based on inclusive fitness gives equivalent predictions to other models of apparently different evolutionary processes, such as multilevel selection. The chapter considers how we can determine whether inclusive fitness really captures the essence of social evolution and whether inclusive fitness is really maximized by the action of selection, as suggested by William D. Hamilton. It also explains what heritability measures, and whether this makes sense biologically. Finally, it discusses the problem of classifying observed social behaviors in terms of their underlying evolutionary explanations.
D. Dudley Williams
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198528128
- eISBN:
- 9780191713538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528128.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Aquatic Biology
This chapter highlights the seasonality of temporary waters and how this relates to variability in the life cycles of their inhabitants, leading to discussion of phenotypic and genotypic solutions. ...
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This chapter highlights the seasonality of temporary waters and how this relates to variability in the life cycles of their inhabitants, leading to discussion of phenotypic and genotypic solutions. The physiology of desiccation a major stressor in these habitats is reviewed, as are other adaptations of the biota such as cyclical dispersal and colonization. The differences between active and passive strategies of the latter are emphasized.Less
This chapter highlights the seasonality of temporary waters and how this relates to variability in the life cycles of their inhabitants, leading to discussion of phenotypic and genotypic solutions. The physiology of desiccation a major stressor in these habitats is reviewed, as are other adaptations of the biota such as cyclical dispersal and colonization. The differences between active and passive strategies of the latter are emphasized.
H. Frederik Nijhout
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195335903
- eISBN:
- 9780199775446
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335903.003.0013
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This chapter discusses the role of photoperiodism on phenotype expression in insects. Topics covered include general patterns of expression of seasonal morphs in insects, the interaction of ...
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This chapter discusses the role of photoperiodism on phenotype expression in insects. Topics covered include general patterns of expression of seasonal morphs in insects, the interaction of photoperiod and temperature, how photoperiod affects development and morphology, developmental hormones in photoperiodic responses, and the evolution of seasonally plastic traits.Less
This chapter discusses the role of photoperiodism on phenotype expression in insects. Topics covered include general patterns of expression of seasonal morphs in insects, the interaction of photoperiod and temperature, how photoperiod affects development and morphology, developmental hormones in photoperiodic responses, and the evolution of seasonally plastic traits.
David Whitehouse
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195393804
- eISBN:
- 9780199863495
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195393804.003.0012
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Disorders of the Nervous System
The healthcare industry and insurers hope that once accurate and effective gene and brain markers of brain disorders are identified and utilized, patient outcomes will be more successful. This is not ...
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The healthcare industry and insurers hope that once accurate and effective gene and brain markers of brain disorders are identified and utilized, patient outcomes will be more successful. This is not a panacea for cures, but rather a means of bringing more objective approaches for clinicians to offer patients. Some of these approaches may be more convenient for patients to use, making patients more willing to take control and engage in healthier lifestyles, habits and behaviors, perhaps under the guidance of a health care professional. The applications from Personalized Medicine must be cost effective and result in significant improvement, if not a cure. This chapter will review present practical alternatives to expensive and time-consuming assessments, imaging and laboratory measures. These cost-efficient alternatives will integrate clinical, psychological and neuroscience findings and data, and will use the latest information technology advances for distribution and use by the patient and clinician. This pragmatic context of personalized treatment plans is used in this chapter to emphasize that for reimbursement to occur, validated and robust solutions that are cost-effective will be required as a key factor to accelerate personalized medicine.Less
The healthcare industry and insurers hope that once accurate and effective gene and brain markers of brain disorders are identified and utilized, patient outcomes will be more successful. This is not a panacea for cures, but rather a means of bringing more objective approaches for clinicians to offer patients. Some of these approaches may be more convenient for patients to use, making patients more willing to take control and engage in healthier lifestyles, habits and behaviors, perhaps under the guidance of a health care professional. The applications from Personalized Medicine must be cost effective and result in significant improvement, if not a cure. This chapter will review present practical alternatives to expensive and time-consuming assessments, imaging and laboratory measures. These cost-efficient alternatives will integrate clinical, psychological and neuroscience findings and data, and will use the latest information technology advances for distribution and use by the patient and clinician. This pragmatic context of personalized treatment plans is used in this chapter to emphasize that for reimbursement to occur, validated and robust solutions that are cost-effective will be required as a key factor to accelerate personalized medicine.
Patrizia d'Ettorre and Alain Lenoir
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199544639
- eISBN:
- 9780191720192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544639.003.0011
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
The ability to recognize group members is a key characteristic of social life. Ants are typically very efficient in recognizing non‐group members and they aggressively reject them in order to protect ...
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The ability to recognize group members is a key characteristic of social life. Ants are typically very efficient in recognizing non‐group members and they aggressively reject them in order to protect their colonies. There are a range of different recognition mechanisms including prior association, phenotype matching, and recognition alleles. The concept of kin recognition should be considered different from that of nestmate recognition. Most of the available studies address the nestmate recognition level, namely the discrimination of nestmates from non‐nestmates, independently of actual relatedness. Indirect and direct evidence identify long‐chain cuticular hydrocarbons as the best candidates to act as recognition cues in ants, even if other chemical substances could also play a role, at least in some ant species. The relative importance of genetic and environmental factors on the expression and variation of the cuticular hydrocarbon profile vary among species and is linked to life history strategies.Less
The ability to recognize group members is a key characteristic of social life. Ants are typically very efficient in recognizing non‐group members and they aggressively reject them in order to protect their colonies. There are a range of different recognition mechanisms including prior association, phenotype matching, and recognition alleles. The concept of kin recognition should be considered different from that of nestmate recognition. Most of the available studies address the nestmate recognition level, namely the discrimination of nestmates from non‐nestmates, independently of actual relatedness. Indirect and direct evidence identify long‐chain cuticular hydrocarbons as the best candidates to act as recognition cues in ants, even if other chemical substances could also play a role, at least in some ant species. The relative importance of genetic and environmental factors on the expression and variation of the cuticular hydrocarbon profile vary among species and is linked to life history strategies.
W. Maxwell Cowan, Thomas M. Jessell, and S. Lawrence Zipursky (eds)
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195111668
- eISBN:
- 9780199865833
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195111668.001.0001
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Molecular and Cellular Systems, Development
Although the major features of neural development have been known for nearly a century, it is only relatively recently that the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms have begun to be ...
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Although the major features of neural development have been known for nearly a century, it is only relatively recently that the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms have begun to be uncovered. Among the many factors accountable for the transformation of developmental neurobiology from a largely descriptive to an analytic and mechanistic discipline, two stand out as singularly important. First has been the application of molecular genetic methods to the study of such events and neural induction, the determination of neuronal phenotypes, the establishment of neuronal processes, and the formation of specific patterns of connections. The second factor has been the use of a variety of “model” organisms: each offering particular advantages in the study of one or another developmental process. The pace of new advances often overwhelms experienced workers in the field. This book updates and introduces the subject and also details recent successes in understanding the early events of neural development.Less
Although the major features of neural development have been known for nearly a century, it is only relatively recently that the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms have begun to be uncovered. Among the many factors accountable for the transformation of developmental neurobiology from a largely descriptive to an analytic and mechanistic discipline, two stand out as singularly important. First has been the application of molecular genetic methods to the study of such events and neural induction, the determination of neuronal phenotypes, the establishment of neuronal processes, and the formation of specific patterns of connections. The second factor has been the use of a variety of “model” organisms: each offering particular advantages in the study of one or another developmental process. The pace of new advances often overwhelms experienced workers in the field. This book updates and introduces the subject and also details recent successes in understanding the early events of neural development.
Ezra Susser, Sharon Schwartz, Alfredo Morabia, and Evelyn J. Bromet
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195101812
- eISBN:
- 9780199864096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195101812.003.30
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Family history studies are now used for a much wider range of purposes than in the past. This chapter discusses their usefulness for refining phenotype definitions, targeting preventive ...
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Family history studies are now used for a much wider range of purposes than in the past. This chapter discusses their usefulness for refining phenotype definitions, targeting preventive interventions, characterizing genetic effects, and exploring gene-environment interaction. These are in addition to their original role in genetic research, which was to examine whether diseases aggregate in families. The chapter also elaborates on their relationship to the risk factor designs described in previous chapters.Less
Family history studies are now used for a much wider range of purposes than in the past. This chapter discusses their usefulness for refining phenotype definitions, targeting preventive interventions, characterizing genetic effects, and exploring gene-environment interaction. These are in addition to their original role in genetic research, which was to examine whether diseases aggregate in families. The chapter also elaborates on their relationship to the risk factor designs described in previous chapters.
Michael Windle (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034685
- eISBN:
- 9780262335522
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034685.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biomathematics / Statistics and Data Analysis / Complexity Studies
Findings from the Human Genome Project and from Genome-Wide Association (GWA) studies indicate that many diseases and traits manifest a more complex genomic pattern than previously assumed. These ...
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Findings from the Human Genome Project and from Genome-Wide Association (GWA) studies indicate that many diseases and traits manifest a more complex genomic pattern than previously assumed. These findings, and advances in high-throughput sequencing, suggest that there are many sources of influence—genetic, epigenetic, and environmental. This volume investigates the role of the interactions of genes and environment (G × E) in diseases and traits (referred to by the contributors as complex phenotypes) including depression, diabetes, obesity, and substance use. The contributors first present different statistical approaches or strategies to address G × E and G × G interactions with high-throughput sequenced data, including two-stage procedures to identify G × E and G × G interactions, marker-set approaches to assessing interactions at the gene level, and the use of a partial-least square (PLS) approach. The contributors then turn to specific complex phenotypes, research designs, or combined methods that may advance the study of G × E interactions, considering such topics as randomized clinical trials in obesity research, longitudinal research designs and statistical models, and the development of polygenic scores to investigate G × E interactions. Contributors Fatima Umber Ahmed, Yin-Hsiu Chen, James Y. Dai, Caroline Y. Doyle, Zihuai He, Li Hsu, Shuo Jiao, Erin Loraine Kinnally, Yi-An Ko, Charles Kooperberg, Seunggeun Lee, Arnab Maity, Jeanne M. McCaffery, Bhramar Mukherjee, Sung Kyun Park, Duncan C. Thomas, Alexandre Todorov, Jung-Ying Tzeng, Tao Wang, Michael Windle, Min ZhangLess
Findings from the Human Genome Project and from Genome-Wide Association (GWA) studies indicate that many diseases and traits manifest a more complex genomic pattern than previously assumed. These findings, and advances in high-throughput sequencing, suggest that there are many sources of influence—genetic, epigenetic, and environmental. This volume investigates the role of the interactions of genes and environment (G × E) in diseases and traits (referred to by the contributors as complex phenotypes) including depression, diabetes, obesity, and substance use. The contributors first present different statistical approaches or strategies to address G × E and G × G interactions with high-throughput sequenced data, including two-stage procedures to identify G × E and G × G interactions, marker-set approaches to assessing interactions at the gene level, and the use of a partial-least square (PLS) approach. The contributors then turn to specific complex phenotypes, research designs, or combined methods that may advance the study of G × E interactions, considering such topics as randomized clinical trials in obesity research, longitudinal research designs and statistical models, and the development of polygenic scores to investigate G × E interactions. Contributors Fatima Umber Ahmed, Yin-Hsiu Chen, James Y. Dai, Caroline Y. Doyle, Zihuai He, Li Hsu, Shuo Jiao, Erin Loraine Kinnally, Yi-An Ko, Charles Kooperberg, Seunggeun Lee, Arnab Maity, Jeanne M. McCaffery, Bhramar Mukherjee, Sung Kyun Park, Duncan C. Thomas, Alexandre Todorov, Jung-Ying Tzeng, Tao Wang, Michael Windle, Min Zhang
Andreas Wagner
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199692590
- eISBN:
- 9780191774829
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199692590.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The history of life is a nearly four billion-year-old story of transformative change. This change ranges from dramatic macroscopic innovations such as the evolution of wings or eyes, to a myriad of ...
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The history of life is a nearly four billion-year-old story of transformative change. This change ranges from dramatic macroscopic innovations such as the evolution of wings or eyes, to a myriad of molecular changes that form the basis of macroscopic innovations. We are familiar with many examples of innovations (qualitatively new phenotypes that provide a critical benefit) but have no systematic understanding of the principles that allow organisms to innovate. This book presents several such principles as the basis of a theory of innovation, integrating recent knowledge about complex molecular phenotypes with more traditional Darwinian thinking. Central to the book are genotype networks: vast sets of connected genotypes that exist in metabolism and regulatory circuitry, as well as in protein and RNA molecules. The theory can successfully unify innovations that occur at different levels of organization. It captures known features of biological innovation, including the fact that many innovations occur multiple times independently, and that they combine existing parts of a system to new purposes. It also argues that environmental change is important to creating biological systems that are both complex and robust, and shows how such robustness can facilitate innovation. Beyond that, the theory can reconcile neutralism and selectionism, as well as explain the role of phenotypic plasticity, gene duplication, recombination, and cryptic variation in innovation. Finally, its principles can be applied to technological innovation, and thus open to human engineering endeavours the powerful principles that have allowed life's spectacular success.Less
The history of life is a nearly four billion-year-old story of transformative change. This change ranges from dramatic macroscopic innovations such as the evolution of wings or eyes, to a myriad of molecular changes that form the basis of macroscopic innovations. We are familiar with many examples of innovations (qualitatively new phenotypes that provide a critical benefit) but have no systematic understanding of the principles that allow organisms to innovate. This book presents several such principles as the basis of a theory of innovation, integrating recent knowledge about complex molecular phenotypes with more traditional Darwinian thinking. Central to the book are genotype networks: vast sets of connected genotypes that exist in metabolism and regulatory circuitry, as well as in protein and RNA molecules. The theory can successfully unify innovations that occur at different levels of organization. It captures known features of biological innovation, including the fact that many innovations occur multiple times independently, and that they combine existing parts of a system to new purposes. It also argues that environmental change is important to creating biological systems that are both complex and robust, and shows how such robustness can facilitate innovation. Beyond that, the theory can reconcile neutralism and selectionism, as well as explain the role of phenotypic plasticity, gene duplication, recombination, and cryptic variation in innovation. Finally, its principles can be applied to technological innovation, and thus open to human engineering endeavours the powerful principles that have allowed life's spectacular success.
John Dupré
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199284214
- eISBN:
- 9780191700286
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284214.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter examines evolution theory as a general proposition but not so much as a scientific theory. How the evolutionary thought started can be explained by the simple fact that life on Earth ...
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This chapter examines evolution theory as a general proposition but not so much as a scientific theory. How the evolutionary thought started can be explained by the simple fact that life on Earth evolved and there are scientific explanations that fit with the core claims of evolutionary theory. This chapter distinguishes elements and parts of the theory and poses the more serious problem of defining the evolution theory. The core to the theory of evolution is a simple fact but evolutionary biology is another field of study with many theories. There are central ideas to the controversy of the pace of evolution and natural selection, which is the subject of a continuing debate on evolution.Less
This chapter examines evolution theory as a general proposition but not so much as a scientific theory. How the evolutionary thought started can be explained by the simple fact that life on Earth evolved and there are scientific explanations that fit with the core claims of evolutionary theory. This chapter distinguishes elements and parts of the theory and poses the more serious problem of defining the evolution theory. The core to the theory of evolution is a simple fact but evolutionary biology is another field of study with many theories. There are central ideas to the controversy of the pace of evolution and natural selection, which is the subject of a continuing debate on evolution.
Michael J. Wade
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199595372
- eISBN:
- 9780191774799
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199595372.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Our understanding of Wright's shifting balance theory (SBT) has deepened and its empirical predictions have been enriched by the theoretical, field and laboratory experimental research. Whereas ...
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Our understanding of Wright's shifting balance theory (SBT) has deepened and its empirical predictions have been enriched by the theoretical, field and laboratory experimental research. Whereas models with strictly additive genetic effects provide the basis for much of evolutionary genetic theory, studies of the molecular genetic basis of adaptations find that gene interaction is the norm. The impact of Wright's SBT will not be fully understood until we have a better understanding of how physiological interactions affect patterns of phenotypic variation. And, until we understand the theory, it will not be evident whether or not the adaptive landscape is an adequate representation of the adaptive process that Wright envisioned.Less
Our understanding of Wright's shifting balance theory (SBT) has deepened and its empirical predictions have been enriched by the theoretical, field and laboratory experimental research. Whereas models with strictly additive genetic effects provide the basis for much of evolutionary genetic theory, studies of the molecular genetic basis of adaptations find that gene interaction is the norm. The impact of Wright's SBT will not be fully understood until we have a better understanding of how physiological interactions affect patterns of phenotypic variation. And, until we understand the theory, it will not be evident whether or not the adaptive landscape is an adequate representation of the adaptive process that Wright envisioned.
