Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Living Edition
| Editors: Todd K. Shackelford, Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Pleiotropy

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3017-1
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Definition

When a single gene has multiple phenotypic effects.

Introduction

The founder of genetics, Austrian friar Gregor Mendel, observed in his pea-plant experiments that three phenotypic traits were inherited together in one of two sets: “brown seed coat, violet flowers, and axial spots or a white seed coat, white flowers, and lack of spots” (Stearns 2010, p. 767). Such strong covariation in phenotypic traits likely resulted from changes of a single gene. A single gene influencing multiple phenotypic traits is referred to as pleiotropy, a term introduced in 1910 by Ludwig Plate, a German geneticist (Stearns 2010). For evolutionary psychologists, pleiotropy has been especially important for the evolutionary explanation of aging and its role in human diseases and apparently fitness-reducing behaviors.

Evolutionary Theory of Aging

Medawar (1952) first suggested that pleiotropic genes could result in the evolution of senescence – increased mortality with advancing age – but he did so...

Keywords

Seed Coat Phenotypic Trait Antagonistic Pleiotropy Pleiotropic Gene Molecular Genetic Mechanism 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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References

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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of PsychologyWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUSA