ontogeny; theory of ontogeny
Technical term in biology for the development of an individual organism from embryo to adult. The suffix 論 indicates a theoretical or systematic study.
Ontogeny is the field that studies the developmental process of organisms.
In this textbook, the relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny is explained in detail.
Refers to phylogeny, the evolutionary development of a species, in contrast to 個体発生論 which focuses on individual development.
Compound of 個体 (individual) + 発生 (development) + 論 (theory). The term is a direct translation of the Western biological concept of ontogeny.