Ontogeny

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ontogeny

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Not applicable to the general concept of ontogeny
2. What is the scope?Encompasses the entire lifespan of an individual organism
3. How do genes and the environment work together in ontogeny?Genes give the instructions, while epigenetic changes and things like nutrition, light, and temperature help turn those instructions on or off, guiding development.
4. Why do baby animals of different species look similar in early stages?Many animals share early developmental steps, like forming a notochord or pharyngeal arches, which shows they come from a common ancestor.

Ontogeny: The developmental history of an individual organism from its origin to its mature form.
Zygote: The initial cell formed when two gamete cells are joined by means of sexual reproduction.
Epigenetics: Heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the DNA sequence.
Morphogenesis: The biological process that causes an organism to develop its shape.