What is the term for the expression of a gene being affected by environmental factors?

The term that describes the expression of a gene being affected by environmental factors is gene-environment interaction. This concept highlights how external conditions—such as temperature, availability of nutrients, presence of toxins, or even social interactions—can influence the way genes are expressed in an organism.

When specific environmental factors align with genetic predispositions, they can enhance or inhibit gene expression, leading to varying phenotypic outcomes. This interaction emphasizes the complexity of biological systems, where genotype alone does not determine the phenotype but rather how these genes react to the environment as well.

Understanding gene-environment interactions is fundamental in fields such as ecology, evolution, and medical genetics, as it reveals how organisms adapt to their surroundings and how diseases may be expressed in individuals with certain genetic backgrounds under particular environmental conditions.