▁ ▁P lei otrop ic ▁gene ▁action ▁can ▁limit ▁the ▁rate ▁of ▁mult ivari ate ▁evolution ▁when ▁natural ▁selection , ▁sexual ▁selection ▁or ▁artificial ▁selection ▁on ▁one ▁trait ▁fav ors ▁one ▁alle le , ▁while ▁selection ▁on ▁other ▁tra its ▁fav ors ▁a ▁different ▁alle le . ▁Some ▁gene ▁evolution ▁is ▁harm ful ▁to ▁an ▁organ ism . ▁Gen etic ▁correl ations ▁and ▁responses ▁to ▁selection ▁most ▁often ▁exempl ify ▁ple iot ropy . ▁ ▁History ▁P lei otrop ic ▁tra its ▁had ▁been ▁previously ▁recognized ▁in ▁the ▁scientific ▁community ▁but ▁had ▁not ▁been ▁experiment ed ▁on ▁until ▁Greg or ▁M end el ' s ▁ 1 8 6 6 ▁pe a ▁plant ▁experiment . ▁M end el ▁recognized ▁that ▁certain ▁pe a ▁plant ▁tra its ▁( seed ▁coat ▁color , ▁flower ▁color , ▁and ▁ax ial ▁sp ots ) ▁seemed ▁to ▁be ▁inherited ▁together ; ▁however , ▁their ▁correlation ▁to ▁a ▁single ▁gene ▁has ▁never ▁been ▁proven . ▁The ▁term ▁" ple iot rop ie " ▁was ▁first ▁co ined ▁by ▁Ludwig ▁Pl ate ▁in ▁his ▁Fest schrift , ▁which ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 0 . ▁He ▁originally ▁defined ▁ple iot ropy ▁as ▁occurr ing ▁when ▁" se ver al ▁characteristics ▁are ▁dependent ▁upon   ... ▁[ in herit ance ]; ▁these ▁characteristics ▁will ▁then ▁always ▁appear ▁together ▁and ▁may ▁thus ▁appear ▁correl ated ". ▁This ▁definition ▁is ▁still ▁used ▁today . ▁ ▁After ▁Pl ate ' s ▁definition , ▁Hans ▁Gr une berg ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁study