Epigenetics, Development, Ecology and Evolution [electronic resource] / edited by Luis María Vaschetto.

Chapter 1. An Introduction to Epigenetics, Development, Ecology and Evolution. Chapter 2. Epigenetic Regulation: The Cross-Talk among Development, Adaptive Strategies, and Microevolutionary Change -- Chapter 3. Epigenetics and Phenotypic Plasticity in Animals -- Chapter 4. Role of Environmentally Induced Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance in Evolutionary Biology -- Chapter 5. Transgenerational Epigenetic Programming -- Chapter 6. Epigenetics, Evolution and Development of Birds -- Chapter 7. Epigenetics and the Extreme Stress Response -- Chapter 8. Epigenetic Adaptation to Local Ecologies as a First Step toward Gene: Culture Co-evolution.

Epigenetic modifications comprise heritable gene expression changes that occur without alteration of the DNA sequence and 'co-act' with genetic factors to shape development processes and evolutionary trajectories. Multicellular organisms receive different types of environmental stimuli/stresses that trigger epigenetic modifications during development. These environmentally driven mechanisms represent an underlying cause of phenotypic diversity, especially in metazoans. This book aims to present some of the latest epigenetic insights into the development of metazoans (including humans) as an intersection between their ecology and evolution.