Population epigenetics: Historical notes and applications in human health

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Biology
• Genetics
• Epigenetics

Background:

• Natural selection's population-level perspective faced challenges from Lamarckian ideas.
• Twentieth-century genetics largely excluded Lamarckian mechanisms.
• Environmental influences on genotypes, termed epigenetics, were later proposed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide historical context for population epigenetics.
• To review advances in contemporary and population epigenetics.
• To examine implications for human diseases and missing heritability.

Main Methods:

• Historical review of evolutionary and epigenetic concepts.
• Synthesis of current research in epigenetics and population epigenetics.
• Analysis of epigenetic inheritance across taxa.

Main Results:

• Population epigenetics integrates environmental factors into evolutionary frameworks.
• Epigenetic modifications influence phenotypes and are implicated in human diseases.
• Taxonomic differences in epigenetic inheritance affect phenotypic outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Population epigenetics offers a framework to understand environmentally influenced evolution.
• Epigenetic mechanisms contribute to missing heritability in human diseases.
• Understanding epigenetic architecture is crucial for studying mammalian and human phenotypes.