Knowra Metamorphosis Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a developmental process in which an animal undergoes a major change in body form after birth or hatching, often alongside shifts in habitat and diet.
Ecdysone : A steroid hormone that coordinates molting and metamorphosis in insects. Its changing levels trigger molts and help initiate insect metamorphosis.
Butterfly : An insect in the order Lepidoptera, typically with broad wings covered in scales. Its caterpillar, chrysalis, and winged adult illustrate complete metamorphosis.
Life cycle : The sequence of developmental stages an organism passes through during its life. Metamorphosis is one transition within an animal's broader life cycle.
Ecological niche : The role of a species in its environment, including its resource use and interactions. Different life stages can occupy distinct niches, reducing competition within a species.
Juvenile hormone : An insect hormone that helps maintain juvenile traits and regulate developmental transitions. Its decline allows ecdysone-driven molts to produce adult rather than juvenile forms.
Tadpole : The aquatic larval stage of a frog or toad, usually bearing a tail and gills. Its transition into a frog is a familiar vertebrate example of metamorphosis.
Larva : An immature animal form that differs substantially from its adult form. Many metamorphosing animals begin transformation from a larval stage.
Intraspecific competition : Competition among members of the same species for limited resources. Separating larval and adult diets or habitats can lessen competition between age groups.
Holometabolism : An insect life cycle with distinct egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. This complete metamorphosis separates growth and feeding from adult reproduction.
Sea urchin larva : A bilaterally symmetrical, free-swimming juvenile stage of a sea urchin. It transforms into a radially symmetrical adult with a different body plan.
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