Environmental Epigenetics - Exposure

In Environmental epigenetics, Exposure to certain materials or chemicals can cause an epigenetic reaction. The epigenetic causing substances cause issues like altered DNA methylation, CpG islands, chromatin, along with other transcription factors. Environmental epigenetics aims to relate such environmental triggers or substances to phenotypic variation. Numerrous studies have demonstrated how exposure to environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, and air pollutants, can induce epigenetic changes in various organisms. For example, research has shown that exposure to pollutants like biphenol A (BPA) and polycyclic acromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can lead to DNA methylation changes and histone modifications in plants, animals, and humans.

Epigentic mechanisms play a role in the adaptation of species of changing environmental conditions, including climate change. Studies have shown that organisms can exhibit phenotypic plasticity through epigenetic modifications in response to environmetal stressors such as temperature fluctuation, drought, and habitat loss.

Environmental epigenetics has revealed the potential for transgenerational effects, where environmetal exposures experienced by one generation can influence the phenotypes and health outcomes of subsequent generations through epigenetic inheritance mechanisms. Studies invarious organisms, including plants, insects, an mammals, have shown transgenerational epigenetic effects resulting from parental exposure to stressors such as toxins, dietary changes, and environmental contaminants. Epigeetic modifications can influence gene expression and phenotypic traits in oragamisms across different trophic levels, with implications for ecosystem stability.