The Genome in Its Ecological Context
Epigenesis concerns the interactions through which the inherited potentials of the genome become actualized into an adult organism. In addition to epigenetic interactions occurring within the developing embryo, there are also critical epigenetic interactions occurring between the embryo and its environment. These interactions can determine the sex of the embryo, increase its fitness, or even be involved in the formation of particular organs. This essay will outline the history of environmental concerns in developmental biology and provide some reasons for the decline and resurgence of these ideas, and it will then focus on two areas that have recently gained much attention
epigenesis ecological developmental biology contextual developmental biology developmental symbioses predator-induced polyphenism