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Integrating non-genetic inheritance in evolutionary theory. A primer

Uller, Tobias LU and Helanterä, Heikki (2013) In Non-Genetic Inheritance 1. p.27-32
Abstract
Evolutionary biology traditionally equates inheritance with transmission of genes from parents to offspring. However, recent literature calls for considering ‘non-genetic inheritance’ in evolutionary theory. These calls have met with substantial scepticism. What is more, they appear to have caused further confusion both with respect to what inheritance is and what types of inheritance mechanisms are evolutionarily consequential. Building on previous work, we make use of the Price Equation to outline a general discussion of how non-genetic inheritance can affect phenotypic change within populations, exemplified by epigenetic inheritance. This shows that integrating non-genetic inheritance in evolutionary theory will require specific... (More)
Evolutionary biology traditionally equates inheritance with transmission of genes from parents to offspring. However, recent literature calls for considering ‘non-genetic inheritance’ in evolutionary theory. These calls have met with substantial scepticism. What is more, they appear to have caused further confusion both with respect to what inheritance is and what types of inheritance mechanisms are evolutionarily consequential. Building on previous work, we make use of the Price Equation to outline a general discussion of how non-genetic inheritance can affect phenotypic change within populations, exemplified by epigenetic inheritance. This shows that integrating non-genetic inheritance in evolutionary theory will require specific attention to the developmental processes that shape the relationship between the fitness of parents and the phenotype of their offspring. (Less)
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author
and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Non-Genetic Inheritance
volume
1
pages
27 - 32
publisher
De Gruyter
DOI
10.2478/ngi-2013-0003
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
5ec7855a-af03-40c5-8240-fc4e173524de (old id 4738938)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:29:08
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:27:45
@article{5ec7855a-af03-40c5-8240-fc4e173524de,
  abstract     = {{Evolutionary biology traditionally equates inheritance with transmission of genes from parents to offspring. However, recent literature calls for considering ‘non-genetic inheritance’ in evolutionary theory. These calls have met with substantial scepticism. What is more, they appear to have caused further confusion both with respect to what inheritance is and what types of inheritance mechanisms are evolutionarily consequential. Building on previous work, we make use of the Price Equation to outline a general discussion of how non-genetic inheritance can affect phenotypic change within populations, exemplified by epigenetic inheritance. This shows that integrating non-genetic inheritance in evolutionary theory will require specific attention to the developmental processes that shape the relationship between the fitness of parents and the phenotype of their offspring.}},
  author       = {{Uller, Tobias and Helanterä, Heikki}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{27--32}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter}},
  series       = {{Non-Genetic Inheritance}},
  title        = {{Integrating non-genetic inheritance in evolutionary theory. A primer}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/ngi-2013-0003}},
  doi          = {{10.2478/ngi-2013-0003}},
  volume       = {{1}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}