The Role of Ecological Epigenetics in Integrative Biology

Characterizing the distribution of epigenetic variation among individuals and populations is a fundamental task in ecological epigenetics. Two important characteristics of that variation have already been identified: (1) there is a lot of it, and (2) it does not correspond precisely to patterns of genetic variation. While ecological epigenetics has not often been studied in animal populations, more progress has been made in plants; and already multiple studies have identified the importance of epigenetic variation in an array of ecological processes. Integrative biology recognizes that understanding biological diversity is a complex problem that requires studies from the molecular level through the level of ecosystems, and at all levels in between. While a great deal of work remains, epigenetics provides a promising lens through which to view organismal biology at a variety of supraorganismal levels.