Genetic variability

Genetic variability (vary + liable - to or capable of change) is the ability, i.e. capability of a biological system – individual and population – that is changing over time. The base of the genetic variability is genetic variation of different biological systems in space.

Genetic variability is a measure of the tendency of individual genotypes in a population to vary from one another, also. Variability is different from genetic diversity, which is the amount of variation seen in a particular population. The variability of a trait describes how much that trait tends to vary in response to environmental and genetic influences. Genetic variability in a population is important for biodiversity, because without variability, it becomes difficult for a population to adapt to environmental changes and therefore makes it more prone to extinction.

Variability is an important factor in evolution as it affects an individual's response to environmental stress and thus can lead to differential survival of organisms within a population due to natural selection of the most fit variants. Genetic variability also underlies the differential susceptibility of organisms to diseases and sensitivity to toxins or drugs — a fact that has driven increased interest in personalized medicine given the rise of the human genome project and efforts to map the extent of human genetic variation such as the HapMap project.