Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...

Genetic Lingo

Genetic Lingo

Polygenic Traits

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...

Polygenic Traits

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...

Pleiotropy

Pleiotropy

Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...

Multiple Allele Traits

Multiple Allele Traits

The Concept of Multiple Allelism

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same journal

Global dynamics of a spatially heterogeneous diffusive two-strain epidemic model with varying total population.

Journal of mathematical biology·2026

Same journal

Exploring the evolution of maturation time via strong competition model with stage structure.

Journal of mathematical biology·2026

Same journal

Dynamical analysis of a stochastic dual-strain infectious model with hospital beds and logarithmic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process.

Journal of mathematical biology·2026

Same journal

A reaction telegraph model reveals synergy between motility strategies in Myxococcus xanthus predation.

Journal of mathematical biology·2026

Same journal

Numerical modeling of fluid exchange between a collecting lymphatic vessel and the surrounding tissue.

Journal of mathematical biology·2026

Same journal

A perception-memory PDE framework for seasonal migration dynamics.

Journal of mathematical biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: November 5, 2015

Phenotype spaces.

Frédéric Mynard¹, Gavin J Seal

¹Department of Mathematical Sciences, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8093, USA. fmynard@georgiasouthern.edu

Journal of Mathematical Biology

|March 31, 2009

Summary

This study revisits the topological viewpoint on phenotype spaces, proposing a quantified model. It finds that while probability can be topologized, continuity inadequately captures this information, leading to non-topological models.

Area of Science:

Theoretical biology
Mathematical biology
Evolutionary developmental biology

Background:

The topological viewpoint offers a framework for understanding phenotype spaces.
Previous models may not fully capture the probabilistic nature of phenotypic variation.

Purpose of the Study:

To revisit and quantify the topological perspective on phenotype spaces.
To investigate the adequacy of continuity in representing probabilistic information within these spaces.
To propose and analyze alternative models for phenotype space representation.

Main Methods:

Revisiting topological frameworks for phenotype spaces.
Developing a quantified version of the topological viewpoint.
Analyzing the encoding of probabilistic information.

More Related Videos

Phenotypic Profiling of MPTP-Induced Parkinsonian-like Behavioral Phenotypes in Zebrafish Larvae Based on Behavioral Experiment

Phenotypic Profiling of MPTP-Induced Parkinsonian-like Behavioral Phenotypes in Zebrafish Larvae Based on Behavioral Experiment

Published on: May 15, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

Published on: March 1, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: November 5, 2015

Phenotypic Profiling of MPTP-Induced Parkinsonian-like Behavioral Phenotypes in Zebrafish Larvae Based on Behavioral Experiment

Phenotypic Profiling of MPTP-Induced Parkinsonian-like Behavioral Phenotypes in Zebrafish Larvae Based on Behavioral Experiment

Published on: May 15, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

Published on: March 1, 2022

Evaluating the concept of continuity in this context.

Proposing and examining alternative mathematical models.

Main Results:

Probabilistic information can be encoded in a topological-like manner.
The concept of continuity is insufficient for adequately reflecting this probabilistic information.
Alternative models were proposed, but they exhibit fundamentally non-topological characteristics due to map behavior.

Conclusions:

Standard topological concepts like continuity may not fully capture the complexities of phenotype space dynamics.
New mathematical frameworks are needed to accurately model the probabilistic and topological aspects of phenotypes.
The proposed alternative models highlight fundamental departures from traditional topological approaches.