Editing Genetic architecture (section)

== Evolvability ==
[[Evolvability]] is literally defined as the ability to evolve. In terms of genetics, evolvability is the ability of a genetic system to produce and maintain potentially adaptive genetic variants. There are several aspects of genetic architecture that contribute strongly to the evolvability of a system, including autonomy, mutability, coordination, epistasis, pleiotropy, polygeny, and robustness.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
* Autonomy: the existence of quasi-independent characters with the potential for evolutionary autonomy.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Adaptation|url = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=705323&dopt=abstractplus|journal = Scientific American|date = 1978-09-01|issn = 0036-8733|pmid = 705323|pages = 212–218, 220, 222 passim|volume = 239|issue = 3|first = R. C.|last = Lewontin|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0978-212|bibcode = 1978SciAm.239c.212L}}</ref>
* Mutability: the possibility that genetic mutation can occur.
* Coordination: a phenomenon such as development, during which many different genetic processes and changes happen at once.
* [[Epistasis]]: a phenomenon in which one [[gene]] is dependent on the presence of one or more "modifier" genes.
* [[Polygene|Polygeny]]: a phenomenon in which multiple genes contribute to a particular phenotypic character.
* [[Pleiotropy]]: a phenomenon in which a single gene affects one or more phenotypic characteristics.
* [[Mutational robustness|Robustness]]: the ability of a phenotype to remain constant in spite of [[Mutation|genetic mutation]].