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Ontogeny, as opposed to phylogeny, refers to the history of an organism from birth, as opposed to its genetic makeup.
Ontogeny is to phylogeny as nurture is to nature, in reference to the Nature vs Nurture debate.
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis or morphogenesis)(ontos present participle of 'to be', genesis 'creation') describes the origin and the development of an organism from the fertilized egg to its mature form. Ontogeny is studied in developmental biology, developmental psychology, and developmental psychobiology.
In more general terms, ontogeny is defined as the history of structural change in a unity, which can be a cell, an organism, or a society of organisms, without the loss of the organization that allows that unity to exist (Maturana and Varela, 1987, p. 74).
See also
- Recapitulation theory, the idea that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny
- Important publications in ontogeny
References
- Maturana, H. R., Varela F. J. (1987). The Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding. Boston: Shambhala Publications Inc.
External links
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