Strictly speaking, a metamorphosis is anytransformation, transformation, occurring in the universe. This term is quite general and is used in various fields of scientific knowledge. In this article we will look at the concept from the point of view of biology. In the framework of the life science, it is more correct to call the phenomenon "metamorphosis", in the masculine gender, then both possible variants will be used.
So, in biology, metamorphosis is brighta pronounced morphological change in the living organism, which necessarily takes place during its ontogeny. The phenomenon is observed both in plants and in animals. In the latter metamorphosis occurs in the life cycle of most invertebrates and some vertebrates: cyclostomes, fish, amphibians. The essence of the process consists in the transformation of the larval organism (in animals) or some organs (in plants) in such a way that the formed adult organism as a result is radically different from the newborn in structure, physiology and vital activity.
For animals, metamorphosis is not only a sharpchange in the structure of the body. The phenomenon is accompanied by a change in the habitat and conditions of existence. The life activity of an adult organism is completely different from that in larval stages, the difference lies in the habitat, food consumed and many other details. Thus, we find the most important metamorphosis in nature, it provides a reduction in biological competition for food, habitat and other factors between organisms of different generations of the same species.
Let us consider the metamorphosis in animals in more detail.The most striking example is, perhaps, a class of insects. Metamorphosis is typical for all members of this group. The process is either complete transformation or incomplete. Complete metamorphosis involves three stages of the development of the body: the vermicular larva, the pupa (the stationary stage, during which the body of the larva completely disintegrates and a new body of the adult is formed) and an adult insect. This type of phenomenon is characteristic of Diptera (flies, mosquitoes), Hymenoptera (bees, bumblebees, wasps), Lepidoptera (butterfly), Coleoptera (ladybugs). With incomplete metamorphosis, only two stages of development are observed: a larva that is morphologically similar to an adult, and, in fact, an adult insect. Incomplete transformation is characteristic of the winged (locust, grasshopper, bear), equinoctylus (aphids), and semi-feathery (bedbugs).
For higher plants metamorphosis isthe modification of individual organs in connection with the functions performed by them, and not the transformation of the whole organism. As a rule, embryonic, not fully formed bodies enter the process. Metamorphosis of plants is also called modification. These are, for example, bulbs (for onions), thorns (for cactus), antennae (for grapes), rhizome (for ginger), tubers (for potatoes) and much more. The value of metamorphosis for plants is their adaptation to environmental conditions. For example, spines (modified leaves) found in plants that live in hot climates, by their shape, help to reduce evaporation from the surface of the leaf.
