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Ecological Genomics pp 191–210Cite as

Ecological Epigenetics

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 781))

Abstract

Biologists have assumed that heritable variation due to DNA sequence differences (i.e., genetic variation) allows populations of organisms to be both robust and adaptable to extreme environmental conditions. Natural selection acts on the variation among different genotypes and ultimately changes the genetic composition of the population. While there is compelling evidence about the importance of genetic polymorphisms, evidence is accumulating that epigenetic mechanisms (e.g., chromatin modifications, DNA methylation) can affect ecologically important traits, even in the absence of genetic variation. In this chapter, we review this evidence and discuss the consequences of epigenetic variation in natural populations. We begin by defining the term epigenetics, providing a brief overview of various epigenetic mechanisms, and noting the potential importance of epigenetics in the study of ecology. We continue with a review of the ecological epigenetics literature to demonstrate what is currently known about the amount and distribution of epigenetic variation in natural populations. Then, we consider the various ecological contexts in which epigenetics has proven particularly insightful and discuss the potential evolutionary consequences of epigenetic variation. Finally, we conclude with suggestions for future directions of ecological epigenetics research.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Nadia Aubin-Horth and Christian R. Landry for the invitation to write this chapter. We also thank LB Martin, M Boruta, AJ Brace and CAC Coon for feedback on previous versions of the manuscript. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (GRFP-1144244 to HJK).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Holly J. Kilvitis, Mariano Alvarez, Christy M. Foust, Marta Robertson & Christina L. Richards

  2. Department of Biology, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA, USA

    Aaron W. Schrey

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  1. Holly J. Kilvitis
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  2. Mariano Alvarez
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  3. Christy M. Foust
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  6. Christina L. Richards
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Correspondence to Holly J. Kilvitis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Biologie, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Quebec, Québec, Canada

    Christian R. Landry

  2. Département de Biologie, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Quebec, Québec, Canada

    Nadia Aubin-Horth

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Kilvitis, H.J., Alvarez, M., Foust, C.M., Schrey, A.W., Robertson, M., Richards, C.L. (2014). Ecological Epigenetics. In: Landry, C., Aubin-Horth, N. (eds) Ecological Genomics. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 781. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7347-9_10

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