Life Cycles and Metamorphosis Lecture Notes

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering insect metamorphosis types, plant growth stages, and specific biological examples as discussed in the lecture notes.

Stage

A single step in a process.

Life cycle

The particular way a living thing grows, reproduces, and dies.

Compare

To consider the similarities and differences among things.

Complete metamorphosis

Type of development consisting of four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Incomplete metamorphosis

Type of development consisting of three stages: egg, nymph, and adult.

Living organisms

All objects that have biological processes that keep them alive, such as plants and animals.

Egg

The first stage in a life cycle.

Larva

A form that an animal takes after it hatches from an egg that is very different from the form it will take as an adult; it eats continuously until it is ready to form a pupa.

Pupa

The stage in complete metamorphosis when the insect rarely moves because it is growing into an adult.

Adult

A fully grown living thing that is capable of reproduction.

Nymph

The stage in incomplete metamorphosis in which an insect eats, grows, and resembles a smaller version of an adult.

Beetle pupa-to-adult duration

The period of time, lasting between $7-10\text{ days}$, for a beetle to change from a pupa to an adult.

Butterfly-to-adult duration

The period of time it takes a butterfly to become an adult, which is $10-15\text{ days}$.

Cricket nymph stage duration

The period of time a cricket stays in the nymph stage, which is $2-4\text{ months}$, before shedding its hard outer skin to become an adult.

Seed

The first stage of a plant's life cycle, which has a hard outer coating to protect the baby plant inside.

Sprouting stage

The stage in the plant life cycle when roots grow down into the soil to absorb water after the seed receives water, sunlight, and soil.

Seedling stage

The stage in the plant life cycle when a young plant starts growing toward the Sun.

Mature plant

The final stage of the plant life cycle where the plant is ready to reproduce.

Flowering plants

Plants such as sunflowers, hydrangeas, and magnolia trees that grow flowers to allow reproduction to occur.

Nonflowering plants

Plants like pine, cypress, and cedar trees that produce seeds inside cones after pollination occurs.

Lima bean

A plant that is considered a fruit because the bean, or seed, grows inside a pod located on the stem.

Radish

A vegetable and flowering plant that grows in the soil and produces seed pods to make new plants.

Floriculturist

A career involving working with flowers and creating gardens, often requiring a high school diploma or bachelor's degree with a median salary of $\$75,324$.