[Phenogenetic variability and population meronomy]

In accordance with M.A. Shishkin's epigenetic evolutionary theory and S.V. Meyen's concept of meron, N.P. Krenke's "phenogenetic variability" can be considered as a realization of developmentally determined laws of possible transformations of particular characters (morphogenetic realization of meron). It includes two components: deterministic (organizing) one and stochastic (random) one. Organizing includes (epigenetic variability) represents a canalized component of morphogenesis determined by creode structure and arrangement of epigenetic thresholds, which alows to speak about morphogenetic rule of meronomic transformations. Random (realized) variability corresponds with stochastic component of morphogenesis, which makes it possible a spontaneous shifting of available developmental programs and selection of alternative subcreodes. Concepts of "population epigenetic landscape", "population ontogenesis" and "population meronomy" are introduced. Population ontogenesis (PO) can be considered as a peculiar deformation of species developmental program common to all individuals in particular population. This deformation is historically adjusted to concrete environmental conditions by natural selection. PO reflects general set of potential developmental patterns in concrete population, and it should be peculiar and unique one in respect to the whole species. It may be assumed that each individual contains information about invariant population epigenetic landscape (PEL), and thereby discrete individual phenotypes represent a probabilistic copy of general population epigenetic pattern. Analysis of bilateral structures among members of the same generation permits to visualize the principal pattern of PEL. Epigenetic thresholds and constructional bans constrain probable morphogenetic transformations and creates PEL, which is a general rule-cliché that formats total disparity of character states and theirs stochastic manifestation in taxonomic units, populations and individuals. Based on Waddington's ideas of creode, S.V. Meyen introduced concepts of intracreode and extracreode. Population meronomy allows to characterize peculiarities of extracreode of a population or a taxonomic unit while studying intracreodes as intraindividual variability by means of phenetical analysis (reductional stage) and phenogenetic synthesis (compositional stage). In this case we estimate not individual variability (plasticity) proper but generalized population or taxonomic epigenetic diversity of intracreode, which in actually becomes an extracreode. Population-meronomic analysis of bilateral compositions of antimere structure elements allows to construct a natural system of structure transformations and thereby to visualize meronomic diversity and transformation paths of meron.