The study of how different parts of an organism grow at different rates, resulting in changes in body proportions as the organism develops.
From Greek 'allo-' (other) and '-metry' (measurement). The term was established in comparative biology during the 20th century to quantify differential growth patterns.
Allometry reveals hidden patterns in nature—a lobster's claw grows much faster than its body, which is why old lobsters have massive claws relative to their size, and scientists can actually predict these mathematical growth relationships using allometric equations.
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