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- Dictionarymetamorphosis/ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/
noun
- 1. (in an insect or amphibian) the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages: "the persistence of the larval tail during metamorphosis"
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Metamorphosis means a complete change of character, appearance, or condition, or the process by which insects and some animals develop into adults. Learn more about the word, its pronunciation, and its usage in sentences from the Cambridge Dictionary.
Learn the meaning of metamorphosis, a word that describes a change of form, structure, or substance, especially by supernatural means. See synonyms, examples, word history, and related entries for metamorphosis.
- Metamorphosis Definition
- Function of Metamorphosis
- Types of Metamorphosis
- Examples of Metamorphosis
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Metamorphosis is a process by which animals undergo extreme, rapid physical changes some time after birth. The result of metamorphosis may be change to the organism’s entire body plan, such as a change in the animal’s number of legs, its means of eating, or its means of breathing. In species that use metamorphosis, metamorphosis is also typically r...
Scientists remain uncertain why metamorphosis evolved. For the animals of today, its purpose is obvious: if metamorphosis did not occur, tadpoles could not become frogs and larvae could not become full-grown adults capable of reproduction. Without reproductively mature members, these species would quickly die off. But why would these species evolve...
Complete Metamorphosis
In complete metamorphosis, a larva completely changes its body plan to become an adult. The most famous example is that of the butterfly, which starts out as a worm-like, leaf-eating caterpillar and transforms into a flying, nectar-drinking creature with an exoskeleton. Organisms that undergo complete metamorphosis are called “holometabolous,” from the Greek words “holo” for “complete” or “whole,” “meta” for “change,” and the noun “bole” for “to throw.” “Holometabolous,” then, means “complete...
Incomplete Metamorphosis
In incomplete metamorphosis, only some parts of the animal’s body change during metamorphosis. Animals that only partially change their bodies as they mature are called “hemimetabolous,” from the Greek words “hemi” for “half,” “meta,” for “change,” and the verb “bole” for “to throw.” “Hemimetabolous,” then, is a word meaning “half-changing.” Cockroaches, grasshoppers, and dragonflies, for example, hatch from eggs looking a lot like their adult selves. They do acquire wings and functioning rep...
Butterflies
Many of us may have witnessed the process of metamorphosis first hand, by raising caterpillars into butterflies in school. The idea of a worm-like caterpillar wrapping itself in a cocoon for weeks and then emerging as a beautiful butterfly is certainly strange. But the obvious changes of appearance, such as the growth of wings, don’t do justice to just how strange this process is. In the cocoon, caterpillars don’t simply gain legs, wings, and an exoskeleton. They also grow new eyes, lose thei...
Frogs
The metamorphosis of a tadpole into a frog is a little less violent than that of a caterpillar into a butterfly, but the processes share some important common features. Tadpoles do not dissolve their bodies into mush; but they do “digest” them in a less spectacular way. Using the process of apoptosis – or “programmed cell death” – the tadpoles “order” the cells they don’t need anymore to shred their DNA and die. The dead cells are then cannibalized for energy and raw materials to make other c...
Fish
Some species of fish undergo metamorphoses similar to those of the tadpole. Though those changes are not so dramatic, they can result in changes in the fish’s food source, its body plan, and where it’s able to live. Just like the more drastic forms of evolution, this may function to prevent adults from competing with juveniles for food. The salmon, for example, is a freshwater fish in its juvenile form. After undergoing a partial metamorphosis, it becomes a saltwater fish. When thinking about...
1. Why do scientists think that insects evolved metamorphosis? A. Prior to evolving metamorphosis, insects lived their whole lives as worm-like larvae. The advantages to growing wings are obvious. B. An accident in embryonic development may have led to some insects hatching from their eggs before they had taken on adult form; this may have allowed ...
Metamorphosis is a process by which animals undergo extreme, rapid physical changes some time after birth. Learn about the function, types and examples of metamorphosis in insects, frogs, lobsters and more.
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. [1]
Metamorphosis definition: a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly..
Metamorphosis means a complete change of character, appearance, or condition, or the process by which insects and some animals develop into adults. Learn more about the word, its pronunciation, synonyms, and usage with examples from various sources.
Metamorphosis means a complete change of form, shape, or character. It can refer to biological, physical, or psychological transformations, or to mythical or magical metamorphoses. See synonyms, pronunciation, and usage examples.
