thường biến
Definition
- Noun (Biology):
- Modification: A non-heritable change in the phenotype (observable characteristics) of an organism that occurs in response to specific environmental conditions. The change is not caused by an alteration in the genotype (genetic makeup) and will not be passed on to offspring.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Hiện tượng lá cây dày lên ở vùng khô hạn là một ví dụ về thường biến. (The phenomenon of leaves thickening in arid regions is an example of a modification.)
- Thường biến giúp sinh vật thích nghi tạm thời với môi trường. (Modification helps organisms temporarily adapt to their environment.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in an academic biological context to contrast with "đột biến" (mutation), which is a heritable genetic change.
- It can be discussed in relation to the "norm of reaction", which describes the range of possible phenotypes a single genotype can produce under different environmental conditions.
Variants and Related Words
- Biến dị (n): Variation. This is a broader term encompassing all types of phenotypic variation, including both "thường biến" (non-heritable) and "đột biến" (heritable).
Synonyms
- Phenotypic plasticity: The capacity of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to environmental conditions.
- Acclimatization: A physiological adjustment to a change in an environmental factor (a type of modification).
- Non-heritable variation: General descriptive term.
Related Concepts
- Đột biến (Mutation): A heritable change in the DNA sequence. This is the key contrasting term.
- Kiểu hình (Phenotype): The observable traits of an organism.
- Kiểu gen (Genotype): The genetic constitution of an organism.