Phenotypic plasticity is generally explained as the result of epigenetic mechanisms modifying gene expression in response to changing environmental conditions. However, the biology of transposable elements (TEs) suggests that such elements may also induce differential gene expression by affecting regulatory regions. We discuss the ecological and evolutionary relevance of epigenetic modifications versus transposon activity, taking into account that epigenetic modifications are generally reversible but that the modifications induced by TEs are stably inherited. We outline our perspective on the multiple roles played by environmental changes in the context of adaptive evolution. Environmental perturbations can induce phenotypic variations via epigenetic modulation of gene expression and promote, at the same time, genetic variability by triggering bursts of TE activity; finally, they select which genetic variations are most advantageous for survival. Within this context, the production of environmentally induced advantageous phenotypes by epigenetic mechanisms could represent an immediate process of adaptation followed by TE‐induced genotypic changes that make these phenotypic variants heritable through the germ line. This scenario could lead TEs to play different roles in the function of the time‐scale of ecological variation, such as those related to climatic change in the current context of global change. In conclusion, we propose that through TE activation, environmental changes can act as inducers of genetic variability, upon which they also act as selective forces, thus triggering rapid evolutionary processes. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

中文翻译：

---

环境变化和基因组进化：转座因子 (TE) 作为将表型可塑性转化为基因型变异的翻译器

表型可塑性通常被解释为表观遗传机制改变基因表达以响应不断变化的环境条件的结果。然而，转座元件 (TE) 的生物学表明，这些元件也可能通过影响调控区域来诱导差异基因表达。我们讨论了表观遗传修饰与转座子活性的生态和进化相关性，考虑到表观遗传修饰通常是可逆的，但由 TE 诱导的修饰是稳定遗传的。我们概述了我们对环境变化在适应性进化背景下所扮演的多重角色的看法。环境扰动可以通过基因表达的表观遗传调节诱导表型变异，同时促进 通过触发 TE 活动的爆发来进行遗传变异；最后，他们选择哪些遗传变异最有利于生存。在这种情况下，通过表观遗传机制产生环境诱导的有利表型可能代表一个直接的适应过程，然后是 TE 诱导的基因型变化，使这些表型变异可以通过种系遗传。这种情景可能导致 TE 在生态变化的时间尺度函数中发挥不同的作用，例如与当前全球变化背景下的气候变化相关的作用。总之，我们建议通过 TE 激活，环境变化可以作为遗传变异的诱导剂，在此基础上它们也作为选择力，从而触发快速进化过程。