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Epigenetic inheritance and plant evolution
Author(s) -
Miryeganeh Matin,
Saze Hidetoshi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
population ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1438-390X
pISSN - 1438-3896
DOI - 10.1002/1438-390x.12018
Subject(s) - epigenetics , biology , phenotypic plasticity , adaptation (eye) , dna methylation , natural selection , evolutionary biology , inheritance (genetic algorithm) , phenotype , genetics , epigenesis , gene , selection (genetic algorithm) , ecology , neuroscience , gene expression , artificial intelligence , computer science
Being sessile organisms, plants show a high degree of developmental plasticity to cope with a constantly changing environment. While plasticity in plants is largely controlled genetically, recent studies have demonstrated the importance of epigenetic mechanisms, especially DNA methylation, for gene regulation and phenotypic plasticity in response to internal and external stimuli. Induced epigenetic changes can be a source of phenotypic variations in natural plant populations that can be inherited by progeny for multiple generations. Whether epigenetic phenotypic changes are advantageous in a given environment, and whether they are subject to natural selection is of great interest, and their roles in adaptation and evolution are an area of active research in plant ecology. This review is focused on the role of heritable epigenetic variation induced by environmental changes, and its potential influence on adaptation and evolution in plants.