Variation in DNA Methylation in Avian Nestlings Is Largely Determined by Genetic Effects.

ABSTRACT: As environmental fluctuations are becoming more common, organisms need to rapidly adapt to anthropogenic, climatic, and ecological changes. Epigenetic modifications and DNA methylation in particular provide organisms with a mechanism to shape their phenotypic responses during development. Studies suggest that environmentally induced DNA methylation might allow for adaptive phenotypic plasticity that could last throughout an organism's lifetime. Despite a number of studies demonstrating environmentally induced DNA methylation changes, we know relatively little about what proportion of the epigenome is affected by environmental factors, rather than being a consequence of genetic variation. In the current study, we use a partial cross-foster design in a natural great tit (Parus major) populat

SUBMITTER: Sepers B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10139706 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature