extended phenotype

noun

The phenotype extended to include effects that genes have on their environment. (ex.: beaver dams, spider webs, ant colonies, a caddis fly's protective cases, etc.)

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Meanings

nounextended phenotype (plural extended phenotypes)

plural extended phenotypes

  1. biologyThe phenotype extended to include effects that genes have on their environment. (ex.: beaver dams, spider webs, ant colonies, a caddis fly's protective cases, etc.)

Origin

Coined by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 1982 in his book The Extended Phenotype.

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Cite this entry
APA

extended phenotype. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extended%20phenotype

MLA

“extended phenotype.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extended%20phenotype. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “extended phenotype,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extended%20phenotype.

Source: extended phenotype on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.