Functional morphology

Functional morphology studies how the shape and structure of organisms relate to the functions they perform. It connects biological form with performance, behavior, and environmental demands.

Biomechanics: The study of mechanical principles in living organisms and biological systems. It supplies methods for linking anatomical structures to forces and performance.
Locomotion: The movement of an organism from one place to another. Movement provides measurable tasks for relating body form to performance.
Morphology: The study of the form and structure of organisms and their parts. Functional morphology adds questions about performance to this study of form.
Comparative anatomy: The comparison of anatomical structures across organisms to identify similarities and differences. It compares structures, while functional morphology asks how those structures perform.
Allometry: The study of how biological traits scale with body size. Scaling reveals how size changes alter the functions that a form can perform.
Feeding morphology: The anatomical features involved in acquiring, processing, and swallowing food. Feeding structures show how form specializes for particular food-handling tasks.
Anatomy: The study of the structures of organisms and how their parts are arranged. Anatomical descriptions identify the structures whose functions are investigated.
Evolutionary morphology: The study of how organismal form changes and diversifies over evolutionary time. It emphasizes the history of form rather than its present functional effects.
Finite element analysis: A computational method that estimates how structures respond to forces by dividing them into smaller elements. It tests how alternative anatomical shapes distribute stress under loads.
Flapping flight: Flight produced by repeated wing strokes that generate lift and thrust. Wing shape and motion demonstrate how anatomy supports aerial performance.

Linked from 24 pages