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Higher-Order Systems pp 417–433Cite as

Higher-Order Interactions in Biology: The Curious Case of Epistasis

Part of the Understanding Complex Systems book series (UCS)

Abstract

As with other arenas of complex systems, the biological world is driven by interactions between actors, parcels, and forces of various kinds. Higher-order interactions between these elements defines the complexity underlying many biological systems, from species interactions, the microbiota, to biomechanics and others. Here we explore higher-order interactions through a discussion of epistasis, a cutting-edge concept in population and evolutionary genetics. We examine the concept’s history and controversies, measure higher-order epistasis operating in a gene encoding an enzyme, and discuss the implications of higher-order interactions for contemporary conversations surrounding genetic modification and other technical challenges that require a more refined understanding of the relationship between genotype and phenotype.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    C. Brandon Ogbunugafor

  2. Vermont Complex Systems Center, Burlington, VT, 05401, USA

    C. Brandon Ogbunugafor & Samuel V. Scarpino

  3. Pandemic Prevention Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Samuel V. Scarpino

  4. Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA

    Samuel V. Scarpino

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  1. C. Brandon Ogbunugafor
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Correspondence to C. Brandon Ogbunugafor .

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  1. Department of Network and Data Science, Central European University, Vienna, Austria

    Dr. Federico Battiston

  2. ISI Foundation, Turin, Italy

    Dr. Giovanni Petri

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Brandon Ogbunugafor, C., Scarpino, S.V. (2022). Higher-Order Interactions in Biology: The Curious Case of Epistasis. In: Battiston, F., Petri, G. (eds) Higher-Order Systems. Understanding Complex Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91374-8_18

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