Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
Integr Comp Biol. 2013 Aug;53(2):307-18. doi: 10.1093/icb/ict053. Epub 2013 May 20.
Phenotypic variation arises from interactions between environmental and genetic variation, and the emergence of such variation is, in part, mediated by epigenetic mechanisms: factors that modify gene expression but do not change the gene sequence, per se. The role of epigenetic variation and inheritance in natural populations, however, remains poorly understood. The budding field of Ecological Epigenetics seeks to extend our knowledge of epigenetic mechanisms and processes to natural populations, and recent conceptual and technical advances have made progress toward this goal more feasible. In light of these breakthroughs, now is a particularly opportune time to develop a framework that will guide and facilitate exceptional studies in Ecological Epigenetics. Toward this goal, the Ecological Epigenetics symposium brought together researchers with diverse strengths in theory, developmental genetics, ecology, and evolution, and the proceedings from their talks are presented in this issue. By characterizing environmentally dependent epigenetic variation in natural populations, we will enhance our understanding of developmental, ecological, and evolutionary phenomena. In particular, ecological epigenetics has the potential to explain how populations endure (or fail to endure) profound and rapid environmental change. Here, my goal is to introduce some of the common goals and challenges shared by those pursuing this critical field.
表型变异源于环境和遗传变异的相互作用，而这种变异的出现部分是由表观遗传机制介导的：即改变基因表达但不改变基因序列本身的因素。然而，表观遗传变异和遗传在自然种群中的作用仍知之甚少。新兴的生态表观遗传学领域试图将我们对表观遗传机制和过程的认识扩展到自然种群，最近的概念和技术进展使这一目标更具可行性。有鉴于此，现在是制定一个框架的特别有利时机，该框架将指导和促进生态表观遗传学的杰出研究。为了实现这一目标，生态表观遗传学研讨会汇集了在理论、发育遗传学、生态学和进化方面具有不同优势的研究人员，他们的演讲记录发表在本期特刊中。通过描述自然种群中依赖环境的表观遗传变异，我们将增强对发育、生态和进化现象的理解。特别是，生态表观遗传学有可能解释为什么某些种群能够（或不能）承受深远和快速的环境变化。在这里，我的目标是介绍那些从事这一关键领域的人所共同面临的一些常见目标和挑战。
