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In biology, morphology is the study of the shapes and structures of organisms and their parts to understand their function, development, and evolutionary history. It is crucial for classifying species by revealing their relationships. Morphology also encompasses morphogenesis, the processes by which developing systems acquire specific shapes and spatial arrangements. This can involve differential growth, where different parts of an organism grow at varying rates, altering its overall form. The study of form and function is a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology, with debates on whether form dictates function or vice versa. Modern evolutionary development ("evo-devo") explores how developmental constraints influence form, suggesting that form is not solely determined by function.123

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