Commonly stated as ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, the biogenetic law theorizes that the stages an animal embryo undergoes during development are a chronological replay of that species' past evolutionary forms.

How does ontogeny relate to phylogeny?

Ontogeny is the growth (size change) and development (structure change) of an individual organism; phylogeny is the evolutionary history of a species. ... Otherwise put, each successive stage in the development of an individual represents one of the adult forms that appeared in its evolutionary history.

What is recapitulate phylogeny?

recapitulation theory

ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, i.e., an organism, in the course of its development, goes through the same successive stages (in abbreviated form) as did the species in its evolutionary development.