title: A theoretical reflexion on some crucial concepts in functional morphology.
abstract: In this paper the author comments on some basic terms used in functional morphology, such as "form", "function", "biological role" and "optimum". A distinction between "function" and "action" is made. It is defended that causal morphology explains the form-parameters, while functional morphology helps to understand them. Because in our view understanding (answers to the question "why?") the form-parameters is the essence of functional morphology, the descriptive analysis of movements (which answers to "how?") is not the final purpose.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorium voor Morfologie en Systematiek der Dieren, State University of Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Verraes
mesh_terms: D000717:Anatomy, Comparative; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans