Cellular decision making is the process whereby cells assume different, functionally
important and heritable fates without an associated genetic or environmental difference …

Phenotypic plasticity (the ability of a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes in
response to variation in the environment) is commonplace. Yet its evolutionary significance …

Epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones might be crucial for understanding the
molecular basis of complex phenotypes. One reason for this is that epigenetic factors are …

Phenotypic variation is traditionally parsed into components that are directed by genetic and
environmental variation. The line between these two components is blurred by inherited …

Loss or gain of DNA methylation can affect gene expression and is sometimes transmitted
across generations. Such epigenetic alterations are thus a possible source of heritable …

Rapidly accumulating evidence shows that herbivore and pathogen attack of plants can
generate particular defense phenotypes across generations. What was once thought to be …

Modern evolutionary biology is founded on the Mendelian-genetic model of inheritance, but
it is now clear that this model is incomplete. Empirical evidence shows that environment …

Nongenetic inheritance is a potentially important but poorly understood factor in population
responses to rapid environmental change. Accumulating evidence indicates that nongenetic …

Most species maintain abundant genetic variation and experience a range of environmental
conditions, yet phenotypic variation is low. That is, development is robust to changes in …

Organisms often respond to environmental changes by producing alternative phenotypes.
Epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation may contribute to environmentally induced …