How can organic structures perform the activities organisms are expected to fulfill in order to survive in their environment? Constructional morphology gives an explanation by means of physical analysis.

Introduction: A New Look at Morphology.- I Concepts of Constructional Morphology.- Explanations in Konstruktionsmorphologie and Evolutionary Morphology.- Functional Aspects of Morphology.- An Outline of Morpho-Constructional Analysis.- Concepts of Constructional Morphology.- II Bioconstruction: Operational Interconnections, Behavior, Environment.- Dynamic Similarity in the Analysis of Animal Movement.- Cytomechanics and Biochemistry.- Constructional Principles and the Quasi-Experimental Approach to Organisms.- Biomechanics in the Enamel of Mammalian Teeth.- The Functional Morphology of Gastropod Apertures.- Behavior plus "Pathology" - the Origin of Adaptations?.- The Function of Labyrinthodont Teeth: Big Teeth in Small Jaws.- Complexity and a Coupled System: Flight, Echolocation and Evolution in Bats.- Biomechanical Aspects of the Wing Joints in Flies, Especially in Calliphora erythrocephala.- III Bioconstruction: Morphogenesis.- Ontogenetic Changes Reflected in the Morphology of the Molluscan Shell.- A Functional Approach to the Development of the Head of Teleosts: Implications on Constructional Morphology and Constraints.- Self-Organizing Mechanisms in Morphogenesis and Evolution.- Genetic and Molecular Analysis of Pattern Formation Processes in Drosophila.- Design Elements Employed in the Construction of Animal Skeletons.- A Theoretical Morphological Approach to Tooth Replacement in Lower Vertebrates.- IV Bioconstruction: Evolution.- Evolution of Biological Constructions: Concessions, Limitations, and Pathways.- Constructional and Ecological Prerequisites for the Evolution of Homeothermy.- The Mechanical Constraints in Mollusc Constructions - the Function of the Shell, the Musculature, and the Connective Tissue.- Morphogenetic Versus Environmental Cues forAdaptive Radiations.- The Sequence of Body Plans and Locomotory Systems During the Precambrian-Cambrian Transition.- Index of Taxonomic Terms.