Epigenetic Principles of Evolution, Second Edition, fully examines the causal basis of evolution from an epigenetic point-of-view. By revealing the epigenetic uses of the genetic toolkit, this work demonstrates the primacy of epigenetic mechanisms and epigenetic information in generating evolutionary novelties. The author convincingly supports his theoretical perspective with examples from varied fields of biology, emphasizing changes in developmental pathways as the basic source of evolutionary change in metazoans. Users will find a broader view of the epigenetic mechanisms of evolution, moving beyond conventional changes in epigenetic structures, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and patterns of miRNA, sRNA, and mRNA expression.
This second edition is thoroughly updated to reflect new evidence and developing theories in the field of evolutionary epigenetics. New and revised chapters speak to the epigenetic basis of heredity, epigenetic regulation of animal structure and homeostasis, neural manipulation of gene expression, central control of gametogenesis, epigenetic control of early development, the origin of epigenetic information, evolutionary changes in response to environmental stressors, epigenetics of sympatric evolution, and the epigenetics of the Cambrian explosion, among other topics.
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Table of Contents
Part One Epigenetic Basis of Heredity 1. Biological Information and Epigenetic Regulation of Animal Structure and Homeostasis 2. Neural Manipulation of Gene Expression 3. Central Control of Gametogenesis 4. Epigenetic Control of Early Development 5. Neural Control of Post-phylotypic Development 6. The Origin of Epigenetic Information and the Mechanisms of the Epigenetic Inheritance
Part Two Neural-Developmental Basis of Evolutionary Adaptation 7. Evolutionary Changes and Stress Response to Changes in Environment 8. Intragenerational Developmental Plasticity in Nature 9. Behavioral Adaptation and Evolution of Innate Behaviors 10. Ontogeny: The Workshop of Evolutionary Change
Part Three Epigenetics of Circumevolutionary Phenomena and the Mechanism of the Evolutionary Change 11. Transgenerational Inheritance in Nature 12. Experimental Transgenerational Inheritance
Part Four Epigenetic Modes of Metazoan Evolution 13. Origins of Evolutionary Novelties and Innovations 14. Evolution by Loss 15. Evolution by Reverting to Ancestral Characters 16. The Role of Neural Crest in Vertebrate in Evolution 17. Allopatric Speciation in Animal Evolution 18. Epigenetics of Sympatric Evolution 19. Epigenetics of the Cambrian Explosion