Metamorphosis Is: Definition, Phases, Types and Examples

Metamorphosis Is: Definition, Phases, Types and Examples – What is Metamorphosis? Metamorphosis is defined as the process of development of living things originally an egg to mature perfectly and experience a change in the shape of the structure body. On this occasion About the knowledge.co.id will discuss about Metamorphosis and the things that surround it. Let's look at the discussion together in the article below to better understand it.

Metamorphosis Is: Definition, Phases, Types and Examples

Metamorphosis comes from the Greek word "Greek". Meta (between, around, after), morphe (form), osis (part of), so metamorphosis is a change in form during postembryonic development. Many animals undergo metamorphosis, including frogs, butterflies and insects.

In simple terms Metamorphosis is a biological process that marks the development of animals, one of which involves changes in physical appearance and organ structure after birth or hatching. The changes seen in the process of animal metamorphosis are caused by cell growth and the radical and dynamic differentiation of these cells.

Metamorphosis According to Wikipedia:

Metamorphosis is a process of biological development in animals that involves changes in physical appearance and/or structure after birth or hatching. These physical changes occur as a result of radically different cell growth and cell differentiation.

Kinds of Metamorphosis Phases

Metamorphosis generally occurs in very different phases, such as starting from an egg, larva or nymph, sometimes it also often goes through the pupa phase and ends up becoming an imago or adult. The following is the explanation below:

Egg

The egg is an early phase in metamorphosis. The eggs are perfectly round, and there is potential for liquid in the eggs. This liquid is protected by a hard shell and is always tightly protected by its mother.

Larvae

Larvae are animals that have just hatched from eggs. This stage is usually a type of mollusk or also called a soft animal. The anatomical structure of the larvae is also very incomplete and the structure is very simple. Larva is a form of young animals that grow through the process of metamorphosis. The larval stage usually occurs in the metamorphosis of insects and amphibians, when the larvae change their shape also varies. For example, the species that intertwine in a caterpillar that will become a butterfly.

Pupa or Cocoon

Pupa is a larva that has hardened. This stage is a transitional stage where animals want to get a perfect body shape. At this time, insects will face periods of long sleep. Larvae will undergo cell differentiation to form all organs.
Almost the same as sleeping without eating or doing any activity. Only in the pupa or cocoon phase, the goal or process is where the organism will reach adulthood.

nymph

Nymphs are young animals that are similar to adults, but much smaller in size and some of their organs are underdeveloped. Usually nymphs are in a state of molting, they are faced with an event called molting or also known as molting.

Molting

The molting stage is the process of changing the skin or shell of certain animals. After facing the molting stage, primates want to transform into adult beings with perfect body structures. This phase is not only experienced by nymphs, but also animals that are aged will also experience this phase many times.

Imago

Imago is a living creature that has grown up. This phase is also the final phase of metamorphosis. In this phase, a male or female imago mate to produce an egg and return to the early metamorphosis.

Types of Metamorphosis

Some insects, amphibians, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms and shelled animals undergo metamorphosis, usually (but not always) accompanied by a change in habitat or behavior. There are two types of metamorphosis in insects, namely hemimetabolism and holometabolism.

Types of metamorphosis are usually divided into 2 types:

Complete Metamorphosis (Holometabola)

Complete metamorphosis is Holometabolism. In holometabolism, the larva is very different from the adult. Insects undergo Holometabolism only in the larval stage, and then enter a period of inactivity called (pupae), which concludes that they have matured. Therefore, complete metamorphosis refers to the metamorphosis that starts with egg – pupa – imago. Perfect examples of aberrations are frogs, mosquitoes and butterflies.

There are also stages of development and growth that occur in perfect metamorphosis including:

Egg Phase. Female animals will lay eggs in a suitable place for the growth and development needs of their future children. For example, a type of butterfly lays its eggs on the leaf surface because the larvae or young animals are plant eaters.

During this egg stage, the embryo resulting from the fertilization of the fertilized egg continues to face separation and form organs for a certain period of time, depending on the type of species. These mosquito eggs are as light and dense as a bamboo raft. Female mosquitoes also lay their eggs in still water. This is because the mosquito larva spends its entire life in water. After a specified time, the eggs will hatch into larvae or animal children.

Larvae Phase. At this stage, the larvae or young animals are also very active in feeding. The females lay their eggs in a suitable place for their food. Caterpillars, butterfly larvae, can eat leaves because that is where they reside or roost. Animal larvae that already have an exoskeleton (outer frame), such as insects will experience skin changes or ecdysis or molting.

This is also due to the enlarged body size, so a new exoskeleton is needed to adapt to the enlarged body size. This skin change can occur many times, at a certain time the larva must finish eating and enter the next stage, namely becoming a pupa. These changes can be controlled by hormones in the larvae.

Pupae Phase. Pupa or cocoon is a transitional phase. The pupal body is protected by a hard shell or cocoon. In this phase, most insects are in an inactive (eating) state. Behind the cocoon, the pupa's body is much more active in carrying out the metabolism of making organs and forms of the adult animal. The need for energy is obtained from stored food reserves in the body of the larvae (during the larval stage it is very active in eating, and some of the food will be placed for the pupal stage). The pupal phase takes a wide variety of times.

Imago Phase. Until the set time, the pupa comes out of its shell to become an adult animal or imago with a very different form. In this phase, the imago has a method of eating and a different habitat from the larvae. The imago stage is the reproductive stage. Adult animals (males and females) will mate and form hundreds of eggs, and hope to repeat this cycle.

Imperfect Metamorphosis (Hemimetobola)

Incomplete metamorphosis is Hemimetabolism. The immature stage of a metamorphic species is usually called a larva. However, in the metamorphosis of most insect species, only the initial stage is called a larva, sometimes with a different name. In terms of hemimetabolism, larval growth will occur at the umpteenth developmental stage and molting (molting) which is called an adult. Therefore, this imperfect metamorphosis is a metamorphosis that has gone through two stages, namely from an egg to a nymph, then to an adult animal. Usually this kind of metamorphosis also occurs in insects, such as dragonflies, grasshoppers.

The stages in the hemimetabola are:

• Egg. Like most insects, the eggs are laid in a suitable and comfortable place for the growth of the embryo. The embryo is protected by an egg structure with a chiitin zar shell. Until at a predetermined time, the eggs will soon hatch into nymphs.
• nymph In contrast to the holometabolous group, hemimetabolous directly has part of the actual animal form, namely the nymph, which is smaller in size. Nymphs will experience development and growth for the maturity of their reproductive organs. Nymphs will also experience ecdysis to change the outer frame of their bodies due to developments that make their body dimensions increase.
• Imago. Imago also has reproductive maturity and is ready to carry out marriage. This cycle will be repeated again.

Metamorphosis in insects can be divided into 3 namely:

• Ametabola - Ametabola is a group of insects that do not undergo metamorphosis, such as fleas. After the eggs hatch, the insects will become small animals and then grow into adults that don't change shape, only change in size.
• Hemimetabola – Hemimetabola is a group of insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, such as grasshoppers, moths, and dragonflies. This insect also only undergoes 3 growth stages, namely the egg, larva (nymph), and imago, so it does not go through a pupa (cocoon).
• Holometabola Holometabola is a group of insects that undergo complete metamorphosis, such as butterflies, flies and mosquitoes. This insect will undergo 4 stages of growth, namely egg, larva, pupa (cocoon), and imago.

Examples of Metamorphosis

The following is an example of perfect metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis.

Examples of Complete Metamorphosis Animals

Examples of animals that undergo complete metamorphosis are:

Butterfly

The metamorphosis phase in butterflies starts from an egg, larva, pupa to imago. The larvae of butterfly animals are also called. Caterpillars on butterflies are classified as risky animals because they can cause itching when touched. On the other hand, the pupa of the butterfly cocoons. Then when adults have wings and can fly.

Mosquito

The metamorphosis phase in mosquitoes starts from an egg, larva, pupa and then imago. The egg larva is called a larva and is harmless. However, if the mosquito becomes an adult, it has a big risk because it can cause deadly diseases such as dengue fever and malaria.

Frog

Make metamorphosis in frogs, starting from an egg, larva, nymph and then imago. Frog larvae are called tadpoles. This tadpole has a habitat in water until it has complete organs and turns into a nymph. Frog nymph lies in the water.

Ant

Ant metamorphosis starts from egg, larva, pupa, imago. In the metamorphosis phase, the ants only face body comparisons. Instead the way of life and the same habitat, located on land. It's just that adult ants will have the ability to climb anything and anywhere and have very good balance.

Examples of Incomplete Metamorphosis Animals

The following are examples of animals that face imperfect metamorphosis including the following:

Grasshopper

The metamorphosis phase in grasshopper animals starts from an egg, nymph, then imago. For the transition between nymph and imago, grasshoppers have a molting stage.

Cockroach

The metamorphosis phase in cockroaches starts from an egg – nymph – imago. In the nymph stage, the cockroach's body will harden and form a hard skin.

Dragonfly

The metamorphosis phase in dragonflies begins with an egg, then a nymph and then an imago. In the nymph stage, dragonflies have no wings and cannot fly. After growing into an adult, he will grow wings and can fly.

Chicken

This animal is also one of the animals that metamorphose imperfectly. The metamorphosis phase in chickens is starting from an egg, nymph then imago. In chicks, there is an astonishing comparison between nymph and imago. The comparison lies in the color of the feathers and the sound of the chickens.

Cricket

The period of metamorphosis in crickets starts from an egg, nymph and imago. In imago, crickets can not produce a loud sound. After becoming an imago, crickets will make a very unique and loud sound.

Moths/ Termites

At first glance, this animal is a different type of animal. Meanwhile, termites are the nymphs of the moths. The metamorphosis of this animal starts from egg- nymph- imago. During the imago stage, the moths will leave their wings to reproduce.

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