Final answer:
Metamorphosis in biology refers to the process of physical transformation from an immature form to an adult form in insects. It includes both complete metamorphosis, with distinct and different life stages, and incomplete metamorphosis, where young insects resemble adults more closely and gradually develop adult features.
Step-by-step explanation:
Metamorphosis is the biological process by which insects undergo a transformation from an immature form to a mature adult form, and it can occur in one of three distinct types. Notably, two primary forms of metamorphosis are complete metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis. Insects like grasshoppers experience incomplete metamorphosis, where the young are similar to adults but lack wings and reproductive structures, progressively developing these features through successive molts. Contrastingly, insects like butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis, where the life stages—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—are starkly different, and the transformation is more dramatic as the organism progresses from one stage to the next.
All insect life starts from an egg, and during the life cycle, the insect grows and changes until it reaches adulthood, where it can reproduce. The concept of metamorphosis can also be extended metaphorically to describe profound moments in a person's life that induce significant changes or transformations.