title: Genes as cues: phenotypic integration of genetic and epigenetic information from a Darwinian perspective.
abstract: The development of multicellular organisms involves a delicate interplay between genetic and environmental influences. It is often useful to think of developmental systems as integrating available sources of information about current conditions to produce organisms. Genes and inherited physiology provide cues, as does the state of the environment during development. The integration systems themselves are under genetic control and subject to Darwinian selection, so we expect them to evolve to produce organisms that fit well with current ecological (including social) conditions. We argue for the scientific value of this explicitly informational perspective by providing detailed examples of how it can elucidate taxonomically diverse phenomena. We also present a general framework for linking genetic and phenotypic variation from an informational perspective. This application of Darwinian logic at the organismal level can elucidate genetic influences on phenotypic variation in novel and counterintuitive ways.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Tremough, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK. Electronic address: sashadall@iname.com.
authors.forename: Sasha R X
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Dall
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Tremough, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK; School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TW, UK.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Olof
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Leimar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005075:Biological Evolution; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D005796:Genes; D048788:Growth and Development / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D063245:Plant Development / Q000235:genetics; D012641:Selection, Genetic
keywords: development; environmental cues; epigenetic effects; genetic cues; information