Symmorphosis describes the economy of biological structures

Symmorphosis is a hypothesis according to which living organisms tend to adopt the most economical structure for an assigned function. Formulated in 1981 by Ewald R. Weibel and Richard Taylor, it suggests that components like muscles or capillary networks are adapted to oxygen transfer without exceeding the real needs of the organism. This vision implies that the capacities of structures never exceed what is strictly necessary for the animal.