What is pleiotropy?

Pleiotropy refers to the phenomenon where a single gene influences multiple phenotypic traits. This means that a mutation or variation in that one gene can affect different characteristics in an organism rather than just a single trait. For example, the gene that causes sickle cell anemia not only affects the shape of red blood cells but also has implications for other aspects of health, such as resistance to malaria. This interconnectedness illustrates how one genetic change can have widespread effects throughout an organism, highlighting the complexity of genetic influence on traits.

The other concepts listed pertain to different aspects of genetics. The interaction of multiple genes involves polygenic inheritance where various genes contribute to a trait, while one gene hiding the effects of another describes epistasis. Lastly, the random assortment of alleles during meiosis relates to genetic variation during reproduction but is not related to pleiotropy. Each of these concepts expands on the understanding of genetics but does not specifically define pleiotropy itself.