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What Is Metamorphosis?
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which certain organisms grow. Mammals grow gradually, starting as babies and getting progressively larger until adulthood. Although a mammal grows in size, its basic body structure remains the same through its entire life. Insects, on the other hand, pass through a series of developmental stages, called metamorphosis, before they reach adulthood. When passing from one stage to the next, an insect changes its entire body structure.
What Are the Types of Metamorphosis?
There are two major types of metamorphosis: incomplete and complete metamorphosis. Animals that undergo complete metamorphosis progress through four distinct states of growth. The organism begins as an egg before hatching into larva, forming a pupa and finally emerging as an adult. Animals that undergo incomplete metamorphosis do not complete all four stages. They begin as eggs, develop into nymphs and become adults upon reaching reproductive maturity.
What Happens in Each Stage of Complete Metamorphosis?
Complete metamorphosis begins with the egg stage. In this stage, creatures use nutrients inside the egg to develop into their larval form. After hatching as larvae, the animals eat large quantities of food to grow in size. Caterpillars, maggots and grubs are examples of larvae. Once the insect completes its larval growth, it forms a shell-like pupa around its body. Over the course of several weeks, the larva transforms into an adult organism inside the pupa. Upon emerging from the pupa, the organism is a fully-fledged adult with six legs, three distinct body sections and a pair of antennae.
What Happens in Each Stage of Incomplete Metamorphosis?
Incomplete metamorphosis also begins with the egg stage, in which the organism develops its basic body structure. An animal undergoing incomplete metamorphosis hatches as a nymph. Nymphs look like a smaller version of the adult. During this stage, the nymph eats large quantities of food and grows in size. It sheds its hard outer exoskeleton, or molts, several times as it grows. After completing a series of molts, the animal reaches its adult stage. Organisms do not reach reproductive maturity until their adult stage.
What Organisms Undergo Metamorphosis?
Many insects and arachnoids undergo metamorphosis. Around 88 percent of insects go through complete metamorphosis, while the rest undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Butterflies, wasps, ants, moths, beetles, flies and bees progress through complete metamorphosis. Cockroaches, dragonflies and grasshoppers undergo incomplete metamorphosis.