An integrable theory is developed for the perturbation equations engendered
from small disturbances of solutions. It includes various integrable properties
of the perturbation equations: hereditary recursion operators, master
symmetries, linear representations (Lax and zero curvature representations) and
Hamiltonian structures etc. and provides us a method to generate hereditary
operators, Hamiltonian operators and symplectic operators starting from the
known ones. The resulting perturbation equations give rise to a sort of
integrable coupling of soliton equations. Two examples (MKdV hierarchy and KP
equation) are carefully carried out.Comment: 27 pages, latex, to appear in Chaos, Soliton & Fractal