Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Baltazar-Soares, Miguel, Balard, Alice, Heckwolf, Melanie J
Format: Artículo científico
Language:en
Published: Evolutionary applications 2024
Online Access:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39439434/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1868266290189172736
author Baltazar-Soares, Miguel
Balard, Alice
Heckwolf, Melanie J
author_facet Baltazar-Soares, Miguel
Balard, Alice
Heckwolf, Melanie J
Baltazar-Soares, Miguel
Balard, Alice
Heckwolf, Melanie J
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Epigenetic Diversity and the Evolutionary Potential of Wild Populations. Baltazar-Soares, Miguel Balard, Alice Heckwolf, Melanie J Fast-paced selective pressures imposed by climate change and anthropogenic activities call for adaptive evolutionary responses to emerge at ecological timescales. However, the evolution and heritability of genomic variation underlie mechanistic constraints, which dictate a slower pace of adaptation exclusively relying on standing genetic variation and novel mutations. Environmentally responsive epigenetic mechanisms can allow acclimatisation and adaptive phenotypes to arise faster than DNA sequence-based mechanisms alone. Nevertheless, the knowledge gap between identifying epigenetic marks and effectively deeming them functional is still wide in a natural context and often outside the scope of model organisms. With this Special Issue, we aimed to narrow this gap by presenting a compilation of original research articles, reviews and opinions on the topic of epigenetics in wild populations. We contextualised this collection within the overarching topic of conservation biology, as we firmly propose that epigenetic research can significantly enhance the effectiveness of conservation measures. Contributions highlighted the putative role of epigenetic variation in the acclimatisation and adaptive potential of species and populations directly and indirectly affected by climatic shifts and anthropogenic actions. They further exemplified how epigenetic variation can be used as biomarkers for monitoring variations in physiology, phenology and behaviour. Lastly, reviews and perspective articles illustrated the past and present of epigenetic research in wild populations while suggesting future research avenues.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_39439434
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2024
publisher Evolutionary applications
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Epigenetic Diversity and the Evolutionary Potential of Wild Populations.
Baltazar-Soares, Miguel
Balard, Alice
Heckwolf, Melanie J
Epigenetic Diversity and the Evolutionary Potential of Wild Populations. Baltazar-Soares, Miguel Balard, Alice Heckwolf, Melanie J Fast-paced selective pressures imposed by climate change and anthropogenic activities call for adaptive evolutionary responses to emerge at ecological timescales. However, the evolution and heritability of genomic variation underlie mechanistic constraints, which dictate a slower pace of adaptation exclusively relying on standing genetic variation and novel mutations. Environmentally responsive epigenetic mechanisms can allow acclimatisation and adaptive phenotypes to arise faster than DNA sequence-based mechanisms alone. Nevertheless, the knowledge gap between identifying epigenetic marks and effectively deeming them functional is still wide in a natural context and often outside the scope of model organisms. With this Special Issue, we aimed to narrow this gap by presenting a compilation of original research articles, reviews and opinions on the topic of epigenetics in wild populations. We contextualised this collection within the overarching topic of conservation biology, as we firmly propose that epigenetic research can significantly enhance the effectiveness of conservation measures. Contributions highlighted the putative role of epigenetic variation in the acclimatisation and adaptive potential of species and populations directly and indirectly affected by climatic shifts and anthropogenic actions. They further exemplified how epigenetic variation can be used as biomarkers for monitoring variations in physiology, phenology and behaviour. Lastly, reviews and perspective articles illustrated the past and present of epigenetic research in wild populations while suggesting future research avenues.
title Epigenetic Diversity and the Evolutionary Potential of Wild Populations.
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39439434/