The branch of biology that deals with studying the form and structure of microorganisms as well as their specific structural features is known as morphology. Morphology also looks and studies the outward appearance (shape, color, pattern, etc.) as well as internally, like organs or bones. This is different than physiology, as physiology is mostly focused on function. Morphology is a life science branch that deals with the total structure of an organism.

Morphology's origins stem back to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1790. He developed the concept of morphology, and German anatomist and physiology Karl Friedrich Burdach would contribute independently to the idea in 1800. The two along with many other theorists would eventually develop morphology into what we know it as today. Molecular morphology is a term used in English-speaking countries as a term for describing the structure of compound molecules, like polymers or RNA.

There are many divisions of morphology, the most well-known is probably anatomy. Anatomy is the study of the structure of organisms. It is tied to many different sciences, and is divided into microscopic and macroscopic. Microscopic needs a microscope in order to study, and macroscopic is anything that can be seen without the need of scientific equipment.

Comparative morphology is another division of morphology. It looks for patterns in body structures of an organism, and is a fundamental to taxonomical categorization. Taxonomical categorization is breaking the bacteria into genus and making them easily identifiable.

The final two divisions of morphology are functional and experimental. Functional is studying co-operation between structures and functions, focusing on morphological features. Experimental morphology focuses mostly on organisms under lab conditions, meaning scientists experiment with them and observe changes.

Morphology helps scientists paint a good picture for all organisms in life. While it focuses on microorganisms, anatomy is a division of it, which means it encompasses all organisms. It's a fundamental to most life sciences, as to understand an organism in any way you must first study it in the most basic regards, e.g. their shape, their color, and patterns they exhibit.

Related Links: Science Biology Branches of Biology