Objective: Support for the symbolic representation of the physical structure of living organisms by an ontologically solid and logically sound foundation as a basis for formal reasoning. Methods: A, set of canonical relations and attributes necessary for empirically adequate descriptions of biological entities is proposed. Results: It is shown how a broad range of biological organisms and their parts can be represented by cascading theories which are ordered by the dimensions of granularity, development, species, and canonicity. Conclusion: The proposed representation of biological objects is non-redundant and compatible with inter- and intra-species similarities, developmental stages and pathological deviations. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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