Final answer:
Many insects undergo diapause, a form of arrested development, which allows them to survive unfavorable conditions. The transformation process known as metamorphosis can be either gradual (incomplete) or complete, with each stage of the insect life cycle looking different from the others.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many insects undergo diapause, a stage of arrested development in their life cycle from which they emerge when conditions improve. In the insect life cycle, which typically includes the stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult, each stage appears quite different from the others. This process of transformation from an immature form into an adult is known as metamorphosis.
Most insects begin life as an egg, from which a larva emerges. The larva eats and grows, eventually entering the pupal stage where it undergoes metamorphosis. During this stage, the larval tissues and appendages break down and reorganize into the adult form. Insects may undergo gradual metamorphosis , where each life cycle stage looks similar, or complete metamorphosis, where each stage looks very different.
Examples of insects that undergo complete metamorphosis include ants, beetles, flies, and butterflies, developing from caterpillar-like larvae into adults. In contrast, insects like cockroaches and crickets, which undergo incomplete metamorphosis, develop from wingless immatures that more closely resemble the adult forms. In both types of metamorphosis, immature and adult stages usually have different forms, behaviors, and habitats, which can help in reducing competition for resources.