In the intricate realm of evolutionary biology, the interplay between genetic determinism and environmental plasticity gives rise to the profound complexity observed in phenotypic expression. Darwinian natural selection, while foundational, fails to account for the full spectrum of epigenetic modulation, which introduces layers of heritable change independent of alterations in DNA sequence. As elucidated by the extended evolutionary synthesis, the role of transposable elements, regulatory RNA, and histone modification complicates the traditional neo-Darwinian framework by emphasizing non-Mendelian inheritance mechanisms. Furthermore, the phenomena of pleiotropy and polygenic traits exacerbate the unpredictability of evolutionary outcomes, as single genes influence multiple phenotypes, and conversely, traits are shaped by numerous loci interacting in non-linear ways. The teleonomic nature of biological systems suggests that adaptation is not merely a passive response to external pressures, but a dynamic process involving feedback loops and homeostatic regulation. In this light, the emergent properties of life, characterized by autopoiesis and self-organization, challenge the reductionist view of biology as a mere aggregation of molecular interactions. Thus, the complexity of biological evolution can be best understood as ________.

A) a deterministic process governed exclusively by genetic mutation and selection pressure
B) an epiphenomenon of environmental adaptation, reducible to molecular interactions
C) a stochastic system of emergent properties driven by both genetic and epigenetic factors
D) the product of random mutation, without any teleonomic directionality or system feedback
E) an evolutionary process constrained by the limitations of natural selection alone