Metamorphosing

Metamorphosing refers to the process by which an organism undergoes metamorphosis, a developmental transition that produces a drastic change in body form, structure, and often lifestyle. In biology, metamorphosis is common in several taxonomic groups and serves various ecological and evolutionary purposes. The two most studied patterns are complete metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis.

Complete metamorphosis, or holometabolism, includes life stages that look very different: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Examples include butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), bees, wasps and ants (Hymenoptera), and flies (Diptera). The larva typically feeds in a different habitat or resource than the adult, reducing competition between life stages. Incomplete metamorphosis, or hemimetabolism, comprises life stages of egg, nymph, and adult, with nymphs usually resembling small adults and sharing the same habitat. This pattern is seen in true bugs such as cicadas, aphids, crickets, and shield bugs, among others.

Metamorphosis is largely governed by hormonal signals, notably the steroid hormone ecdysone and, in many species, juvenile hormone. Environmental cues such as temperature, photoperiod, and nutrition influence the timing of developmental transitions. Metamorphosis enables exploitation of different resources at different life stages, sometimes reducing intraspecific competition and enabling rapid colonization of diverse ecological niches.

In amphibians, metamorphosis describes a drastic reorganization of form and habitat, as aquatic larvae (tadpoles) transform into terrestrial or semi-aquatic adults. Some species exhibit paedomorphosis, maintaining larval features into adulthood.