METAMORPHOSIS

[thanos00]

does anyone have any info on the advantages and disadvantages of the compete/incomplete metamorphosis of insects

[Darby]

Complete metamorphosis allows larvae and adults to occupy different niches, increasing the holding capacity of the ecosystem for a species. In some cases it maximizes dispersal - flying adults disperse what is essentially an aquatic insect, for instance - or provides a way to overwinter.

[kiekyon]

When you have an insect that has, for example, two forms, like a caterpillar and a moth, the two stages are so completely different that they no longer compte with each other. The moth eats nectar, and the caterpillar eats leaves. There is no competition between the two, as there would be in a continually developing insect that ate both at some point. This lessening of interspecies competition was a great help in allowing the species to propogate itself. Along with the lessening of the competition was teh ability to take ofver new niches. A caterpillar and a butterfly could occupy different places in teh ecosystem - this allowed for great diversification - another thing that has helped insects becoms so succesful.