Meeting Abstract
Predictable variation in environmental cues provide reliable information that animals can use to time life-history transitions. Endocrine systems have evolved in part, to maintain a consistent internal milieu and coordinate organism-wide physiological responses to environmental changes. An emerging body of evidence reveals that epigenetic modifications are central to timing genome plasticity that underlies adaptive and maladaptive endocrine responses. The symposium includes a series of presentations that will discuss the latest findings on epigenomic plasticity with a focus on range expansions, ecology and life-history transitions. This introductory presentation will provide an overview of developmental, transgenerational and rhythmic epigenetic modifications with an emphasis on DNA methylation and histone modifications. Then a brief introduction of the symposium speakers and their research programs will be provided. Overall, the aim of the presentation is to ensure that the topics covered in the symposium will be accessible to all attendees regardless of their experience with epigenetic modifications.
