Editing Genotype–phenotype distinction (section)

==Genetic canalization==
In contrast to phenotypic plasticity, the concept of [[canalisation (genetics)|genetic canalization]] addresses the extent to which an organism's phenotype allows conclusions about its genotype. A phenotype is said to be canalized if [[mutation]]s (changes in the genome) do not noticeably affect the physical properties of the organism. This means that a canalized phenotype may form from a large variety of different genotypes, in which case it is not possible to exactly predict the genotype from knowledge of the phenotype (i.e. the genotype–phenotype map is not invertible). If canalization is not present, small changes in the genome have an immediate effect on the phenotype that develops.{{cn|date=February 2025}}