Amphibian metamorphosis

Amphibian metamorphosis is the developmental transformation from an aquatic larva into an adult, involving coordinated changes in body form, organs, physiology, and often habitat.

Thyroid hormone: A hormone that regulates metabolism and development; in amphibians, it drives metamorphic changes. Its rising activity initiates and coordinates many changes during metamorphosis.
Tadpole: The aquatic larval stage of many frogs and toads, usually with a tail and gills. It is the familiar larval form that undergoes metamorphosis into a frog or toad.
Endocrine disruptor: A substance that interferes with hormone production, signaling, or action. Such chemicals can alter the hormone-regulated timing and completion of metamorphosis.
Axolotl: A salamander that commonly retains larval features and remains aquatic as a reproductive adult. Its paedomorphosis illustrates how adult reproduction can occur without typical metamorphosis.
Thyroid-stimulating hormone: A pituitary hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. It helps regulate the hormonal signal that prompts amphibian metamorphosis.
Amphibian: A vertebrate in the class Amphibia, whose living members include frogs, salamanders, and caecilians. Metamorphosis is a developmental pattern found across many amphibian lineages.
Atrazine: A widely used herbicide that can affect endocrine and developmental processes in some animals. Its potential effects on amphibian development have made it a focus of metamorphosis research.
Neoteny: The retention of juvenile traits in a sexually mature organism. It explains the persistent larval appearance of axolotls and other paedomorphic amphibians.
Thyroid gland: An endocrine gland that produces thyroid hormones. It supplies the hormones that trigger tissue-specific metamorphic changes.
Gills: Organs that extract dissolved oxygen from water. Larval gills are reduced or replaced as many amphibians shift toward adult respiration.

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