Polyphenism Facts for Kids

Biston betularia caterpillars on birch (left) and willow (right). They show different colors based on their food.

Polyphenism is a cool way animals can change their looks. It means an animal can have different forms or appearances, even if all its genes are exactly the same. Think of it like having a special switch inside. The animal inherits this switch, but its surroundings or environment decide which form it will develop into.

This is different from when animals look different because they have slightly different genes. With polyphenism, the environment acts like a trigger. For example, baby crocodiles can become male or female depending on how warm their eggs are. The temperature of the nest decides their gender, not their genes directly.

How Animals Change Their Look
Amazing Examples of Polyphenism
- Insect Castes: Queens, Workers, and Soldiers
- Seasonal Changes in Appearance
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How Animals Change Their Look

Polyphenism happens because an animal's body has a special "developmental switch." This switch is sensitive to things in the environment. These things can be temperature, what the animal eats, or even how much light there is. When the switch is flipped, the animal develops a different body shape, color, or even behavior.

Amazing Examples of Polyphenism

Insect Castes: Queens, Workers, and Soldiers

Many social insects, like ants and bees, have a "caste system." This means they have different jobs and looks within their group. All these insects are genetically identical, but they look and act very differently.

Ants: For some ants, like P. morrisi, the temperature and amount of daylight when they are developing decide if they become a queen. Queens are the ones who lay eggs. This helps the ant colony control when new queens are born.
Bees: In a beehive, worker bees feed some larvae a special food called "royal jelly." This jelly makes the larva grow into a queen bee. If they don't get royal jelly, they become regular worker bees. This usually happens when the old queen is getting old or has died.

Seasonal Changes in Appearance

Some animals change their colors or patterns with the seasons. This helps them blend in with their surroundings all year round. It also helps them control their body temperature as the weather changes.

Moths: The caterpillars of the peppered moth (Biston betularia) are a great example. Their color depends on the color of the plants they eat. If they eat dark plants, they become dark. If they eat light plants, they become light. This helps them hide from birds.
Butterflies: Some butterflies, like Junonia almana, look different in the wet season compared to the dry season. Their wing patterns change to help them camouflage better in different environments.