Article
Article
Heterochrony
Article By:
McNamara, Ken J. Invertebrate Paleontology Section, Western Australian Museum, Perth, Australia.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.757301
An evolutionary phenomenon that involves changes in the rate and timing of development. As animals and plants grow from their earliest embryonic stages to the adult, they undergo changes in shape and size. This life history of an individual organism is known as its ontogeny. The amount of growth that an organism experiences during its ontogeny can be more or less than its ancestor. This can apply to the organism as a whole or to specific parts.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
