Habitats - Keywords

The term Life Cycle refers to the various stages an organism passes through from birth to maturity. In the animal kingdom, an example of this is the Mayfly, which astonishingly completes its entire life cycle within a mere 24 hours. Reproduction is the biological process by which species produce offspring that resemble the parents, leading to the continuation of the species. This can take the form of live births or the laying of eggs that will eventually hatch.

Sexual Reproduction requires two parents to produce offspring, with the male peacock's vibrant display being a part of this process. The male reproductive cell, known as Sperm, must join with the female's egg, a journey that can take up to three days of swimming. Fertilisation is the moment when the male and female sex cells unite, after which no other sperm can fuse with that egg. The term Metamorphosis describes the remarkable transformation that insects or amphibians undergo to become adults, with the duration of this process in the Red Admiral Butterfly being influenced by environmental temperature. Conversely, Asexual Reproduction does not require two parents and is common in bacteria and many plants.

Pollination is crucial for plant reproduction and typically occurs in spring when pollen grains land on the stigma of a flower. The fusion of pollen with an egg cell results in a Seed, which must be sown and watered, especially in the early spring for successful germination. Plants also reproduce through Bulbs, which are dormant in winter and regrow in spring, and Cuttings, which are plant fragments used to grow new plants. The juvenile form of an insect or amphibian before adulthood is called a Larva, which then enters the Pupa stage, often creating a cocoon in which it will transform. Chrysalis is another term for the pupa stage in insects, and upon emergence, the adult, known as the Imago, spreads its wings for the very first time to fly.