Understanding Phylogenetics

Phylogenetics is a field of biology that studies the evolutionary history and relationship among individuals or groups of organisms. Phylogenetic inference methods, that evaluate observed heritable traits using studies of morphology or DNA sequences, are crucial in the development of a phylogenetic tree. Such studies are fundamental to the understanding of biodiversity, ecology, evolution and genomes. Phylogenetic inference involves computational techniques for implementing the criterion of optimality, methods of parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. This book is a valuable compilation of topics, ranging from the basic to the most complex advancements in the field of phylogenetics. It presents the complex subject of phylogenetics in the most comprehensible and easy to understand language. A number of latest researches have been included to keep the readers up-to-date with the global concepts in this area of study.