polyphenismn.
/ˌpɒlɪˈfiːnɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /ˌpɑliˈfiˌnɪz(ə)m/ Genetics.
The capacity of a genotype to produce two or more distinct phenotypes in response to an environmental factor such as temperature, photoperiod, or nutrition. As a count noun: an instance of this; of the any of the phenotypes expressed.
ΚΠ
1963 E. Mayr Animal Species & Evol. vii. 150 In order to make the term ‘polymorphism’ more useful and precise, there is now a tendency to restrict it to genetic polymorphism. Since this would leave nongenetic variation of the phenotype without a designation, the term ‘polyphenism’ is here proposed for it.
1968 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 95 140 These experiments revealed that seeds even of the same genotype may germinate in a series of flushes. This phenomenon has been designated germination polyphenism.
1978 Biotropica 10 298 If T. xanthodice had a latent polyphenism, it would presumably show up on this wing surface.
1997 G. S. Helfman et al. Diversity of Fishes xxiii. 412/1 Giant cannibal morphs that specialized to feed on conspecifics may develop (e.g., landlocked arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus)..such cannibalistic polyphenism is also known among larval salamanders and frogs.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1963