There Is Hardly Any Question in Biology of More Importance: Charles Darwin and the Nature of Variation

Abstract

См. книгу целиком. ///// It is a familiar biological observation that the traits of an organism will vary to some extent depending on environmental conditions. This individual flexibility is termed ‘phenotypic plasticity,’ which can be defined as the ability of a given genotype to express different phenotypes in different environmental circumstances. This opening chapter of the book provides some essential conceptual and practical tools to engage with this remarkable property of organisms. Starting with a background section that lays out the key observations and ideas, the chapter goes on to examine biological and statistical aspects of genotype-environment interaction; experimental approaches to studying plasticity; and the recently emerged area of transgenerational plasticity, including some new insights regarding multi-generational environmental influences.