Dictionary > Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Definition
noun, plural: metamorphoses
(1) (biology) A change in the form and often habits of an animal after the embryonic stage during normal development.
(2) (pathology) A usually degenerative change in the structure of a particular body tissue.
Supplement
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal‘s form or structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some insects, amphibians, molluscs, crustaceans, cnidarians, echinoderms and tunicates undergo metamorphosis, which is usually (but not always) accompanied by a change of habitat or behaviour.
Metamorphosis may be incomplete metamorphosis or complete metamorphosis.
Word origin: Latin metamorphōsis, from Greek, metamorphoun, to transform : meta-, meta– + morphē, form.
Related forms: metamorphose (verb).
Compare: ametabolism.

Last updated on June 28th, 2021

You will also like...

Insects

There are more species of insects than any other species combined. This surely illustrates that insects have the selective advantages that allow them to take the most advantage of the environment that they live in. Read more about the evolution of insects in this tutorial. Find out the reasons as to why insects enjoyed their continued existence over such a long period of time...

Read More

Fish

The sea was teeming with life. Eventually, through reproduction and continued variation, fish came about. There are over 20 000 species of fish, all of which have diversified over time. In this tutorial, the different factors that helped shape fish as we know them today are presented...

Read More

Mammalian Ancestors

Mammals are a diverse group of organisms, where most of them develop their offspring within the uterus of the mother. Over time, mammals have diversified into the placentals and the marsupials. Get a better understanding of how the mammals became dominant based on natural selection and geological events as elucidated in this tutorial...

Read More