TY - JOUR T1 - A framework for community and ecosystem genetics: from genes to ecosystems. JF - Nature reviews. Genetics Y1 - 2006 A1 - Whitham,Thomas G A1 - JK Bailey A1 - Jennifer A Schweitzer A1 - Shuster,Stephen M A1 - RK Bangert A1 - LeRoy,Carri J A1 - Lonsdorf,Eric V A1 - Allan,Gery J A1 - DiFazio,Stephen P A1 - Potts,Brad M A1 - Fischer,Dylan G A1 - Gehring,Catherine A A1 - Lindroth,Richard L A1 - Jane C Marks A1 - Stephen C Hart A1 - Wimp,Gina M A1 - Wooley,Stuart C KW - Animals KW - Ecosystem KW - Genetics, Population KW - Humans KW - Plants AB -

Can heritable traits in a single species affect an entire ecosystem? Recent studies show that such traits in a common tree have predictable effects on community structure and ecosystem processes. Because these 'community and ecosystem phenotypes' have a genetic basis and are heritable, we can begin to apply the principles of population and quantitative genetics to place the study of complex communities and ecosystems within an evolutionary framework. This framework could allow us to understand, for the first time, the genetic basis of ecosystem processes, and the effect of such phenomena as climate change and introduced transgenic organisms on entire communities.

VL - 7 SN - 1471-0056 UR - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&DbFrom=pubmed&Cmd=Link&LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&LinkReadableName=Related%20Articles&IdsFromResult=16778835&ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumhttp://www.ncbi. IS - 7 ER -