Epigenetic mechanisms behind organismal change - Nothing to do with random mutations

It's a classical mistake to confuse between ecological adaptation and evolution

Everyone has heard of mantra touted by evolution believers: "Evolution happens because of random mutations and selection that weeds out harmful changes and preserves beneficial ones." Simple and easy. In this way the pseudoscientific heresy can be taught even for toddlers. But modern science has revealed that these doctrines are false science and that ecological adaptation has nothing to do with random mutations. 

Ecological adaptation and phenotypic change is ALWAYS based on two mechanisms:

1. Epigenetic regulation of pre-existing information.
2. Loss or corrupted information that leads to re-organization of information.

Epigenetic regulation can be influenced by several factors such as nutrition, climate, stress, sensory stimuli, toxicants, etc. These are already well understood biological facts:

a. How diet and nutrition affects organismal change?

https://www.pnas.org/content/113/52/15042

Histone deacetylases control module-specific phenotypic plasticity in beetle weapons

Excerpt: "We found that epigenetic regulators, such as histone deacetylases (HDACs) and polycomb group (PcG) proteins, contribute specifically to the plastic expression of male mandibles...Nutritional conditions during early development influence the plastic expression of adult phenotypes. Among several body modules of animals, the development of sexually selected exaggerated traits exhibits striking nutrition sensitivity, resulting in positive allometry and hypervariability distinct from other traits."

Keywords: 'nutrition epigenetic regulation', 'diet and methylation'

b. How climate impacts on epigenetic modifications?

DNA methylation as a possible mechanism affecting ability of natural populations to adapt to changing climate

https://academic.oup.com/icb/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/icb/icaa049/5848649?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Excerpt: "This review highlights the significance of environmental temperature on epigenetic control of phenotypic variation, with the aim of furthering our understanding of how epigenetics might help or hinder species’ adaptation to climate change. It outlines how epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone/chromatin modification, (1) respond to temperature and regulate thermal stress responses in different kingdoms of life, (2) regulate temperature-dependent expression of key developmental processes, sex determination, and seasonal phenotypes, (3) facilitate transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of thermal adaptation, (4) adapt populations to local and global climate gradients, and finally (5) facilitate in biological invasions across climate regions."

Keywords: 'climate epigenetic regulation'

c. How stressors contribute to epigenetic changes?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316751947_Mechanical_stress_affects_methylation_pattern_of_GNAS_isoforms_and_osteogenic_differentiation_of_hAT-MSCs

Mechanical stress affects methylation pattern of GNAS isoforms and osteogenic differentiation of hAT-MSCs

Excerpt:"Mechanical stress exerts a substantial role on skeletal-cell renewal systems, whereas accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms induce changes and differential gene expression. Although the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated, our study suggests that the influence of the long term mechanical stimulation elicits epigenetic modifications controlling osteogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue multipotential stromal cells (hAT-MSCs) and contributes to an accelerating in vitro osteogenesis."

Keywords: 'stress epigenetic regulation'

d. How sensory stimuli influences epigenetic regulation and gene expression?

https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2013/03/04/olfactor-receptors-epigenetics/

Do We Owe Our Sense of Smell to Epigenetics?

Excerpt: "A nerve cell’s initial choice of a specific allele, or form of the gene, is likely probabilistic. Once the choice is made, the challenge is to explain how the chosen allele is locked in: how does the cell silence the competing genes? The answer lies with an epigenetic mechanism – one that works outside genetic processes – to spatially rearrange the chromosomes."

Keywords: 'brain signals sensory epigenetic regulation'

e. How toxicants affect epigenetic regulation?

https://epigeneticsandchromatin.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13072-017-0154-0

Excerpt: "In this review, we have reported and discussed recent evidence that strongly supports the idea that the zebrafish can be a valuable animal model for exploring both individual and transgenerational epigenetic variations induced by a wide variety of environmental stimuli."

Keywords: 'toxicants epigenetic regulation'

Summary and conclusions: Change in organisms is a clearly observable fact in nature. A good question is: Why change is happening and what it results in? These previous examples elucidate that there are complex epigenetic mechanisms behind the organismal change and adaptation. Rich biodiversity is based on these epigenetic mechanisms and factors. However, epigenetic modifications often lead to harmful DNA mutations. This is why all living organisms are experiencing rapid genetic degradation. Evolution never happened. Don't get lost, my friends.