Facing environmental predictability with different sources of epigenetic variation.

ABSTRACT: Different sources of epigenetic changes can increase the range of phenotypic options. Environmentally induced epigenetic changes and stochastic epimutations are, respectively, associated with phenotypic plasticity and diversifying bet-hedging. Their relative contribution is thus expected to reflect the capacity of a genotype to face distinct changes since these strategies are differentially selected according to environmental uncertainty. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the sources of epigenetic changes on clonal fish from predictable (lakes) or unpredictable (intermittent streams) environments. DNA methylation of clones from natural conditions revealed contrasting contribution of environmentally induced versus stochastic changes according to their origins. These differences were vali

SUBMITTER: Leung C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4984500 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature