polymorphism

Noun
  1. (genetics) the genetic variation within a population that natural selection can operate on (synset 111513666)
    referred to in: genetic science, genetics - the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms
    is a type of: organic phenomenon - (biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals
    subtypes: single nucleotide polymorphism, snp - (genetics) genetic variation in a DNA sequence that occurs when a single nucleotide in a genome is altered; SNPs are usually considered to be point mutations that have been evolutionarily successful enough to recur in a significant proportion of the population of a species
  2. (chemistry) the existence of different kinds of crystal of the same chemical compound (synset 111513233)
    referred to in: chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions
    is a type of: chemical phenomenon - any natural phenomenon involving chemistry (as changes to atoms or molecules)
    subtypes: dimorphism - (chemistry) the property of certain substances that enables them to exist in two distinct crystalline forms
    same as: pleomorphism
  3. (biology) the existence of two or more forms of individuals within the same animal species (independent of sex differences) (synset 111512788)
    referred to in: biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms
    is a type of: organic phenomenon - (biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals
    subtypes: dimorphism - (biology) the existence of two forms of individual within the same animal species (independent of sex differences)

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