• Demonstrates the power of molecular ecology as a research tool in a style ideally suited for an undergraduate audience.
• Includes the latest methods and concepts, using practical examples, not just theoretical models.
• Blends factual content with tools for active learning to encourage the reader to engage with the subject in a hands-on way.
• Practical and analytical method boxes, accompanied by essay topics and references to original research papers, take the reader to the frontiers of the subject, and bridge the gap between textbook and primary literature.
• New full colour diagrams and many new stunning photographs help students to visualise the key concepts explained in the text.
• Online Resource Centre features resources for both lecturers and students, to enhance the value of the book as a teaching and learning tool.

New to this edition

• Enriched learning features, including useful websites, end-of-chapter questions, and data analysis exercises, encourage the reader to engage more actively with the subject.
• New practical and analytical method boxes, presenting case studies and associated references for further study, strengthen links to the primary literature, and promote critical thinking.
• Enhanced coverage of quantitative concepts, where appropriate, gently introduce students to the mathematical nature of the subject.
• Updated examples, focusing on the latest methods and concepts blend a theoretical underpinning with practical examples.
• Full-colour design with a series of stunning new photographs.
• A blend of practical and analytical boxes appear throughout, reinforcing the applied nature of molecular ecology.

Trevor Beebee, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, UK., and Graham Rowe, Department of Biological, Forensic and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Derby, UK.

Review(s) from previous edition

"I would like to congratulate the authors for providing such a good textbook in introductory molecular ecology. Molecular ecology is an emerging interdisciplinary field with a great potential for future growth. Writing a textbook in such a field is a daunting task and the authors did an overall excellent job. - Dr Jianping Xu, McMaster University, Canada - Review of this edition

"It was exactly what I was looking for: a short but well written introduction to the topic." - Stacey L. Lance, Colby College, USA

"The authors and the publisher deserve a round of applause for producing yet another quality textbook. I heartily recommend the book to students and teachers in diverse areas of ecology, evolution and molecular biology." - Journal of Ecobiology, 2006

"As someone who has taught an undergraduate course in Molecular Ecology and Evolution for a number of years, often without an appropriate single text, I was eagerly anticipating this book and have not been disappointed. An Introduction to Molecular Ecology, as the cover notes make clear, is targeted at undergraduate students and the content lives up to its stated aim, pitching the level and style exactly right. " - Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2005

"This text has filled the need for a comprehensive introductory text in Molecular Ecology. The topics covered are of great interest to students in biology, and the authors have done an excellent job of illustrating the concepts with examples from the primary research literature that represent well the taxonomic diversity of molecular ecological studies." - Keith Karoly, Reed College, USA

1: A history of molecular ecology
2: Molecular ecology for ecologists
3: Molecular identification: species, individuals, and sex
4: Behavioural ecology
5: Population genetics
6: Molecular and adaptive variation
7: Phylogeography
8: Conservation genetics
9: Microbial ecology and the Metagenome
10: Genetically modified organisms