Organism form

Organism form is the observable shape and structural organization of an organism, including its body plan and characteristic morphology.

Connect

Morphology (biology): The study of the form and structure of organisms and their parts. Organism form is the observable subject matter described by biological morphology.
Embryogenesis: The process by which an embryo forms and develops into an organism. Early embryonic events establish many of the structures visible in mature form.
Cambrian explosion: A period of rapid diversification of animal forms, beginning about 539 million years ago. Its fossil record documents the early diversification of many animal body plans.
Function (biology): The role or activity performed by a biological structure or process. Similar forms can perform different functions, and similar functions can arise from different forms.
Body plan: A basic structural blueprint shared by members of a major group of animals. It captures the large-scale arrangement of structures within an organism’s form.
Morphogenesis: The biological process through which cells and tissues acquire organized shapes. It produces the patterned structures that distinguish one form from another.
Vertebrate: An animal with a backbone or an embryonic structure that develops into one. Vertebrates share an axial framework that strongly shapes their body organization.
Homology (biology): Similarity between biological traits due to shared ancestry. Homologous structures may retain a common underlying organization despite differing in shape.
Phenotype: An organism’s observable traits, produced by interactions between its genotype and environment. Form is one visible part of the broader set of phenotypic traits.
Heterochrony: Evolutionary change in the timing or rate of developmental events. Changing developmental timing can alter an organism’s adult proportions and shape.