Rediscovering Waddington in the post‐genomic age

Jamniczky, Heather A.; Boughner, Julia C.; Rolian, Campbell; González, Paula N.; Powell, Christopher D.; Schmidt, Edward M.; Parsons, Trish E.; Bookstein, Fred L.; Hallgrímsson, Benedikt

doi:10.1002/bies.200900189

Cited by 65 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(44 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The present data does not allow discrimination between plasticity and genetics. If there is a subtle niche differentiation, it is possible that it sets up a chain of epigenetic effects (sensu Waddington) (see Jamniczky et al 2010) and leads to plastic skull shape differences. In this study, we simply quantified the pattern and the magnitude of the sexual dimorphism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in the skull geometry of newt species of Ichthyosaura, Triturus and Lissotriton (Salamandridae, Caudata, Amphibia)

Ivanović

Kalezić

2011

Zoomorphology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, we applied geometric morphometrics to explore variations in the level and pattern of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual shape dimorphism (SShD) of the ventral cranium in three different Modern Eurasian newt taxa (Ichthyosaura alpestris, Triturus species group and Lissotriton vulgaris). The ventral cranium is the part of the skull that is more directly related to foraging and feeding. Our results indicate that the level and pattern of sexual dimorphism in the ventral cranium differ among Modern Eurasian newt taxa. Regarding sexual dimorphism in skull size, Ichthyosaura alpestris and Triturus species show female-biased patterns (females are larger than males), whereas Lissotriton vulgaris appears to be non-dimorphic in skull size. In I. alpestris and Triturus species, SShD is mostly absent, whereas in L. vulgaris, SShD is more pronounced. A high level of variation between populations in both SSD and SShD indicates that local conditions may have a profound effect on the magnitude and direction of sexual dimorphism. The significant sexual differences in ventral cranium size and shape indicate possible subtle intersexual differences in ecological demands due to diet specialisation, in spite of similar general ecological settings.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in the skull geometry of newt species of Ichthyosaura, Triturus and Lissotriton (Salamandridae, Caudata, Amphibia)

Ivanović

Kalezić

2011

Zoomorphology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, they can interact with other sources of environmental and genetic variation, including sex (207), in ways that facilitate or constrain evolutionary change at multiple levels of biological organization (11,26,141). Much more work is required to fully elucidate the role of epigenetics in physiology and evolution (45,56,80,87,88).…”

Section: Insights Into Evolutionary Pattern and Processmentioning

confidence: 98%

Genetic approaches in comparative and evolutionary physiology

Storz

Bridgham

Kelly

et al. 2015

American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comp

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Whole animal physiological performance is highly polygenic and highly plastic, and the same is generally true for the many subordinate traits that underlie performance capacities. Quantitative genetics, therefore, provides an appropriate framework for the analysis of physiological phenotypes and can be used to infer the microevolutionary processes that have shaped patterns of trait variation within and among species. In cases where specific genes are known to contribute to variation in physiological traits, analyses of intraspecific polymorphism and interspecific divergence can reveal molecular mechanisms of functional evolution and can provide insights into the possible adaptive significance of observed sequence changes. In this review, we explain how the tools and theory of quantitative genetics, population genetics, and molecular evolution can inform our understanding of mechanism and process in physiological evolution. For example, lab-based studies of polygenic inheritance can be integrated with field-based studies of trait variation and survivorship to measure selection in the wild, thereby providing direct insights into the adaptive significance of physiological variation. Analyses of quantitative genetic variation in selection experiments can be used to probe interrelationships among traits and the genetic basis of physiological trade-offs and constraints. We review approaches for characterizing the genetic architecture of physiological traits, including linkage mapping and association mapping, and systems approaches for dissecting intermediary steps in the chain of causation between genotype and phenotype. We also discuss the promise and limitations of population genomic approaches for inferring adaptation at specific loci. We end by highlighting the role of organismal physiology in the functional synthesis of evolutionary biology.

show abstract

“…As previously acknowledged by Haig (2004) and others (Bird 2007;Haig 2012;Mann 2014), what we have today is a pronounced dichotomy within the field of epigenetics. Waddington's epigenetics describes the interplay of genetic and cytoplasmic elements that produce emergent phenotypes (Van Speybroeck 2002;Jamniczky et al 2010), and those in the biological sciences interested in gene-by-environment interactions and phenotypic plasticity use the term in this sense. As a result, Waddington's definition is largely used to describe the expression of environmentally mediated phenotypes, particularly in the fields of ecology (Rollo 1994;Pigliucci 2007;Bossdorf et al 2008) and physiology (Jablonka 2004;Aguilera et al 2010;Ho and Burggren 2010).…”

Section: The Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Do You Mean, “Epigenetic”?

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Interest in the field of epigenetics has increased rapidly over the last decade, with the term becoming more identifiable in biomedical research, scientific fields outside of the molecular sciences, such as ecology and physiology, and even mainstream culture. It has become increasingly clear, however, that different investigators ascribe different definitions to the term. Some employ epigenetics to explain changes in gene expression, others use it to refer to transgenerational effects and/or inherited expression states. This disagreement on a clear definition has made communication difficult, synthesis of epigenetic research across fields nearly impossible, and has in many ways biased methodologies and interpretations. This article discusses the history behind the multitude of definitions that have been employed since the conception of epigenetics, analyzes the components of these definitions, and offers solutions for clarifying the field and mitigating the problems that have arisen due to these definitional ambiguities.

show abstract

Rediscovering Waddington in the post‐genomic age

Cited by 65 publications

References 36 publications

Sexual dimorphism in the skull geometry of newt species of Ichthyosaura, Triturus and Lissotriton (Salamandridae, Caudata, Amphibia)

Sexual dimorphism in the skull geometry of newt species of Ichthyosaura, Triturus and Lissotriton (Salamandridae, Caudata, Amphibia)

Genetic approaches in comparative and evolutionary physiology

What Do You Mean, “Epigenetic”?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About