Metamorphosis

This airticle is aboot the biological process. For ither uisses, see Metamorphosis (disambiguation).

Metamorphosis is a biological process bi which an animal pheesically develops efter birth or hatchin, involvin a conspicuous an relatively abrupt chynge in the animal's body structur throu cell growth an differentiation. Some insects, amphibians, molluscs, crustaceans, Cnidarians, echinoderms an tunicates unnergo metamorphosis, which is uisually accompaniet bi a chynge o habitat or behavior.

A dragonfly in its feenal moult, unnergoin metamorphosis frae its nymph form tae an adult.

Scienteefic uisage o the term is exclusive, an is no applee'd tae general aspects o cell growth, includin rapid growth spurts. References tae "metamorphosis" in mammals are imprecise an anerlie colloquial, but historically idealist ideas o transformation an monadology, as in Goethe's Metamorphosis o Plants, influencit the development o ideas o evolution.

Etymology

The wird "metamorphosis" derives frae Greek μεταμόρφωσις, "transformation, transformin", frae μετα- (meta-), "chynge" + μορφή (morphe), "form".

References

• Davies, R.G., "Outlines of Entomology", Chapman an Hall: chapter 3
• Williamson D I (2003). "The Origins of Larvae", xviii + 261 pp, ISBN 1-4020-1514-3. Kluwer. Dordrecht.

Freemit airtins

• Description of metamorphosis and its different forms
• Info on butterflies and butterfly metamorphosis
• Info on insect hormones Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine