UPSC CSE Prelims 2002
Pleiotropy is a genetic phenomenon where a single gene influences two or more distinct and seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. This occurs because the protein product of such a gene may participate in multiple biochemical pathways or have effects on various tissues or organs.
A notable example is the gene associated with sickle cell anemia. This single gene mutation not only leads to the characteristic sickling of red blood cells and associated health complications but also confers resistance to malaria in heterozygous individuals.
Apomixis refers to a form of asexual reproduction in plants where seeds are produced without fertilization. It does not involve a single gene controlling multiple traits.
Polyploidy describes a condition in which an organism possesses more than two complete sets of chromosomes in its somatic cells. It is a chromosomal aberration, not a phenomenon of gene control over multiple characters.
Polyteny is the state where chromosomes undergo multiple rounds of DNA replication without cell division, resulting in giant chromosomes (polytene chromosomes). These are typically found in the salivary glands of certain insects and are not related to a single gene controlling multiple phenotypic expressions.