Genetic assimilation

Note: Genetic assimilation is sometimes used to describe "eventual extinction of a natural species as massive pollen flow occurs from another related species and the older crop becomes more like the new crop." This usage is unrelated to the usage below.

Genetic assimilation is a process by which a phenotype originally produced in response to an environmental condition, such as exposure to a teratogen, later becomes genetically encoded via artificial selection or natural selection. Despite superficial appearances, this does not require the inheritance of acquired characters, although epigenetic inheritance could potentially influence the result. Genetic assimilation is merely a method of overcoming the barrier to selection imposed by genetic canalization of developmental pathways.