Definition

Noun 1. (Biology) The condition within a single species where individuals can exist in two distinct forms or morphs, not due to differences between male and female. 2. (Chemistry) The property of a substance to crystallize into two different forms, resulting in distinct crystal structures.

Usage

• Biology: The term is used to describe a specific type of polymorphism where exactly two distinct phenotypes exist within a population. This is often discussed in zoology, botany, and entomology.
• Chemistry: The term is used in crystallography and materials science to describe substances that can solidify into more than one crystal system.

Examples

• Biology:
  • Sexual dimorphism is common in birds, where males often have brighter plumage than females.
  • The butterfly exhibits dimorphism, with one form having large, eye-like spots and the other having a more camouflaged pattern.
• Chemistry:
  • Carbon demonstrates dimorphism, existing as both diamond and graphite.
  • The study focused on the temperature-dependent dimorphism of the pharmaceutical compound.

Advanced Usage

• Sexual Dimorphism: A specific and common subtype where the two forms correspond to male and female sexes, often involving differences in size, coloration, or structure.
  • The extreme sexual dimorphism in anglerfish, where the tiny male fuses to the much larger female, is a fascinating adaptation.
• Seasonal Dimorphism: When an organism, particularly some plants and butterflies, produces two different forms in different seasons.
  • The Arctic fox shows seasonal dimorphism, with a white coat in winter and a brown coat in summer.

Variants and Related Words

• Dimorphic (adjective): Having or characterized by dimorphism.
  • A dimorphic species.
• Dimorphous (adjective): Another term for dimorphic.
• Polymorphism (noun): The more general condition of occurring in several different forms (more than two).

Synonyms

• (Biology): Diformity, duality of form.
• (Chemistry): Allotropy (specifically for chemical elements), pleomorphism.

Antonyms

• Monomorphism (the condition of having only a single form).

Noun

1. (biology) the existence of two forms of individual within the same animal species (independent of sex differences)
2. (chemistry) the property of certain substances that enables them to exist in two distinct crystalline forms