Stick insects: Egg-laying techniques reveal new evolutionary map
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 - 09:10
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Scientists have created the best map of stick-insect evolution to date by combining DNA analysis and knowledge of their varied egg-laying techniques. The first stick insects flicked or dropped their eggs while hiding in the foliage, but they have evolved new egg-laying techniques after colonizing different habitats. Previous evolutionary theories, based on anatomical similarities, are inaccurate, with geographically isolated populations of stick insects more likely to be related than those with similar features.