Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance increases trait variation but is not adaptive.

ABSTRACT: Understanding processes that can produce adaptive phenotypic shifts in response to rapid environmental change is critical to reducing biodiversity loss. The ubiquity of environmentally induced epigenetic marks has led to speculation that epigenetic inheritance could potentially enhance population persistence in response to environmental change. Yet, the magnitude and fitness consequences of epigenetic marks carried beyond maternal inheritance are largely unknown. Here, we tested how transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) shapes the phenotypic response of Daphnia clones to the environmental stressor Microcystis. We split individuals from each of eight genotypes into exposure and control treatments (F0 generation) and tracked the fitness of their descendants to the F3 g

SUBMITTER: Shahmohamadloo RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11042258 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature