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Related Concept Videos

What is Population Genetics?01:25

What is Population Genetics?

A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.
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Epigenetic Regulation01:46

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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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The evolutionary potential of paramutation: a population-epigenetic model.

Jemma L Geoghegan1, Hamish G Spencer

  • 1National Research Centre for Growth & Development, Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology & Evolution, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.

Theoretical Population Biology
|June 12, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Paramutation, an epigenetic process, drives heritable gene expression changes without DNA alteration. This study shows paramutation generates biological diversity and impacts evolution, challenging solely genetic models.

Keywords:
EpigeneticsEvolutionParamutation

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Epigenetics
  • Population genetics

Background:

  • Paramutation, a heritable gene expression change without DNA alteration, was initially observed in plants but is now recognized in animals and humans.
  • Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, generating non-genomic variation, is often overlooked in evolutionary theory.
  • Traditional evolutionary models primarily focus on genetic changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To integrate paramutation into standard population-genetic models of viability selection.
  • To investigate the impact of paramutation on biological diversity and evolutionary trajectories.
  • To explore novel mathematical behaviors arising from paramutation in evolutionary models.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a population-genetic model incorporating paramutation alongside viability selection at a single locus.
  • Analyzed the model to determine conditions under which paramutation generates long-term biological diversity.
  • Investigated the mathematical properties of the model, including equilibria and parameter-dependent behavior.

Main Results:

  • Paramutation can create substantial biological diversity even without genetic change or the presence of the original paramutagenic allele.
  • Evolutionary models incorporating paramutation reveal its potential to significantly alter evolutionary outcomes.
  • An unusual mathematical phenomenon, similar to 'Ewens' gap,' was observed, where equilibria appear and disappear with changes in paramutation rates.

Conclusions:

  • Paramutation is a significant factor that can drive evolution and generate biological diversity, necessitating its inclusion in evolutionary frameworks.
  • Relying solely on traditional genetic models may underestimate the full scope of evolutionary mechanisms and observed phenotypic variation.
  • Epigenetic inheritance systems like paramutation profoundly influence evolutionary dynamics and require further investigation.