An individual, in the sense of evolutionary biology, is a genetically unique organism. An individual has a complement of genetic material, encoded in its DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), that is different from other members of its species. At the level of populations and species, this variation among individuals constitutes genetic biodiversity.
Morphology, physiology, and behavior are attributes of individual organisms that can be observed. These attributes are known as the phenotype. Two factors that influence the phenotype are: (1) the specific genetic information of the individual (its genotype), and (2) environmental influences on the expression of the individual's genetic potential. The term phenotypic plasticity refers to th…
In virtually all species, individuals differ genetically. However, there are a few interesting exceptions to this generalization. Populations of some plants may have no genetic variability because the species propagates by non-sexual (or vegetative) means. In such plants, genetically uniform populations (or clones) may develop. These represent a single genetic "individual." For examp…
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