Relating to or characterized by apometabolism; descriptive of organisms or biological processes involving a form of metabolism after or away from the main metabolic pathway.
From Greek apo- 'away/altered' + metabolic, from metabolē 'change.' Combines the prefix suggesting change or separation with metabolic processes, describing altered or secondary metabolism.
Some deep-sea organisms have apometabolic processes—they can switch between normal metabolism and radically slowed metabolism to survive in extreme conditions, flipping their biological switches like emergency power modes.
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