Comparison of the relative potential for epigenetic variation to contribute to trait stability

Emma S.T. Aller, Lea M. Jagd, Daniel J. Kliebenstein and Meike Burow
G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. doi:10.1534/g3.118.200127.

Genetic variation does not explain all phenotypic variation observed in plants. To assess the potential of epigenetic variation to shape adaptive traits, we analyzed the influence of DNA methylation variation on the accumulation of glucosinolate defense compounds in Arabidopsis thaliana and found that the influence of DNA methylation variation on adaptive traits is much lower than the corresponding impact of standing genetic variation.

Publisher’s blog:
http://genestogenomes.org/which-is-more-powerful-genetic-or-epigenetic-variation/