Exploring the interplay of epigenetics and individualization

Meuthen, Denis; Hoffman, Joseph I; Kurtz, Joachim; Berthelsen, Ane Liv; Chakarov, Nayden; Chen, Rebecca Shuhua; Coculla, Angelica; Gadau, Jürgen; Gossmann, Toni I; Mühlenhaupt, Max; Chavarria-Pizarro, Tania; Rapp, Tim M.; Sepers, Bernice; Vellnow, Nikolas; Xu, Shuqing; Vendrami, David L. J.

Abstract

The interplay between interindividual phenotypic variation and epigenetic processes remains poorly understood in an ecoevolutionary context. Epigenetic variation is a key driver of individual differences, with genetically regulated, environmentally induced, and stochastic epigenetic variation playing distinct yet interacting roles in promoting the processes leading to individualization. In turn, the realization of individualized niches can induce novel epigenetic variation through the exposure of individuals to new environmental conditions. Epigenetic variation underlying or resulting from individualization alters patterns of selection and thereby affects long-term evolution, partly through transgenerational effects. Studying this bidirectional causal relationship will deepen our understanding of the proximate mechanisms underlying individualization and elucidate how epigenetic variation arises, persists, and contributes to evolution.