Cheap and plentiful genome sequence data is transforming biology, and will surely transform systematics. This volume explores how.

We live in an age of ubiquitous genomics. Next generation sequencing (NGS) technology, both widely adopted and advancing at pace, has transformed the data landscape, opening up an enormous source of heritable characters to the comparative biologist. Its impact on systematics, like many other fields of biology, has been felt throughout its breadth: from defining species boundaries to estimating their evolutionary histories. This volume examines the broad range of ways in which NGS data are being used in systematics and in the fields that it underpins, from biodiversity prospecting to evo-devo. Experts in their fields draw on contemporary case studies to demonstrate state-of-the-art applications of NGS data. These, along with novel analyses, comprehensive reviews and lively perspectives, are combined to produce an authoritative account of contemporary issues in systematics that have been impacted by the adoption of NGS.

Volume 41 of Methods in Microbiology is a methods book designed to highlight procedures that will revitalize the purposes and practices of prokaryotic systematics. This volume will notably show that genomics and computational biology are pivotal to the new direction of travel and will emphasise that new developments need to be built upon historical good practices, notably the continued use of the nomenclatural type concept and the requirement to deposit type strains in at least two service culture collections in different countries.

Next generation sequencing (NGS) has surpassed the traditional Sanger sequencing method to become the main choice for large-scale, genome-wide sequencing studies with ultra-high-throughput production and a huge reduction in costs. The NGS technologies have had enormous impact on the studies of structural and functional genomics in all the life sciences. In this book, Next Generation Sequencing Advances, Applications and Challenges, the sixteen chapters written by experts cover various aspects of NGS including genomics, transcriptomics and methylomics, the sequencing platforms, and the bioinformatics challenges in processing and analysing huge amounts of sequencing data. Following an overview of the evolution of NGS in the brave new world of omics, the book examines the advances and challenges of NGS applications in basic and applied research on microorganisms, agricultural plants and humans. This book is of value to all who are interested in DNA sequencing and bioinformatics across all fields of the life sciences.

In December 2004, the National Academy of Sciences sponsored a colloquium on "Systematics and the Origin of Species" to celebrate Ernst Mayr's 100th anniversary and to explore current knowledge concerning the origin of species. In 1942, Ernst Mayr, one of the twentieth century's greatest scientists, published Systematics and the Origin of Species, a seminal book of the modern theory of evolution, where he advanced the significance of population variation in the understanding of evolutionary process and the origin of new species. Mayr formulated the transition from Linnaeus's static species concept to the dynamic species concept of the modern theory of evolution and emphasized the species as a community of populations, the role of reproductive isolation, and the ecological interactions between species. In addition to a preceding essay by Edward O. Wilson, this book includes the 16 papers presented by distinguished evolutionists at the colloquium. The papers are organized into sections covering the origins of species barriers, the processes of species divergence, the nature of species, the meaning of "species," and genomic approaches for understanding diversity and speciation.

The book Methods in Silkworm Microbiology is the first ever publication that provides in-depth reviews on the latest progresses about silkworm –pathogen interactions, diseases and management practices for sustainable development of sericulture. Different molecular and immunodiagnostic methods for the detection of pathogens have been comprehensively addressed. Most recent advancements on the role of Micro RNAs in silkworm and pathogen interactions are provided with suitable illustrations. Recent technological advances and emerging trends in exploring silkworm gut microbial communities towards translation research, particularly to understand microbiome functions have been highlighted. Information on various immune mechanisms of silkworm against invading pathogens is summarized. The book further highlights the silkworm gut microbiota as a potential source for biotechnological applications. - Provide comprehensive reviews and valuable methods from the selected experts on the topic "Methods in silkworm microbiology/pathology" - Provides latest information on application of genomics and transcriptomics to decipher silkworm gut microbial communities. Different molecular and immunodiagnostic methods for the detection of pathogens have been comprehensively addressed - Provides up to date information on silkworm-pathogen interactions, different silkworm diseases and immune mechanisms