According to classical evolutionary theory, phenotypic variation originates from random mutations that are independent of selective pressure. However, recent findings suggest that organisms have evolved mechanisms to influence the timing or genomic location of heritable variability. Hypervariable contingency loci and epigenetic switches increase the variability of specific phenotypes; error-pro...

The mode of inheritance of six enzyme markers in the octoploid alpine plant Cerastium alpinum was analyzed. Offspring from crosses between heterozygotes showed fixed heterozygosity at malate dehydrogenase-2, phosphoglucoisomerase-2, triosephosphate isomerase-2, and triosephosphate isomerase-3. Phosphoglucomutase-1 also showed fixed heterozygosity except in offspring from one cross. Fixed hetero...

Modern evolutionary biology is founded on the Mendelian-genetic model of inheritance, but it is now clear that this model is incomplete. Empirical evidence shows that environment (encompassing all external influences on the genome) can impose transgenerational effects and generate heritable variation for a broad array of traits in animals, plants, and other organisms. Such effects can be mediat...

Background: Sexual reproduction affords the stands for conserving genetic characteristics and sequentially, genetic inconsistency may influence the capability to imitate. Materials and Methods: Research was conducted by subject in PubMed and other databases. Results: A significant number of genotypes have been related with infertility phenotypes and evaluation of precise genes in humans and mod...

Epigenetic inheritance systems enable the environmentally induced phenotypes to be transmitted between generations. Jablonka and Lamb (1991, 1995) proposed that these systems have a substantial role during speciation. They argued that divergence of isolated populations may be first triggered by the accumulation of (heritable) phenotypic differences that are later followed and strengthened by ge...

Segregation analysis on 228 family pedigrees collected from a Papua New Guinean population provided data that strongly supported a previous report of an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance of a susceptibility to tinea imbricata. The frequency of the susceptibility gene within the population studied was found to be 0.49 +/- 0.04, calculated on the assumption of an autosomal recessive mode...

31 In recent years, there have been many calls for an extended evolutionary synthesis, based in part 32 upon growing evidence for non-genetic mechanisms of inheritance i.e. similarities in phenotype 33 between parents and offspring that are not due to shared genes. While there has been an 34 impressive marshalling of evidence for diverse forms of non-genetic inheritance (epigenetic, 35 ecologic...

In recent years, there have been many calls for an extended evolutionary synthesis, based in part upon growing evidence for non-genetic mechanisms of inheritance, i.e., similarities in phenotype between parents and offspring that are not due to shared genes. While there has been an impressive marshalling of evidence for diverse forms of non-genetic inheritance (epigenetic, ecological, behaviour...