Author: James A. Foley
Date: Oct 21, 2013
Summary: Stick bugs in California bring down whole ecosystems due to their poor camouflage. A bug has evolved to give birth to two types of other bugs. One with a white stripe down the back and one that is all green. If a bug is poorly camouflaged, then a bird may land, and eat the bug along with other insects in the area. Those insects cause the bugs to disappear, which in turn affects the birds and the plants, and anything else relying on the plants or birds, and this can eventually cause the ecosystem to collapse, which many have done, due to these bugs.
Relevance: This article ties into the concept of a keystone species. In this article, it shows a keystone species' importance in an ecosystem. In some ecosystem it's a predator that is the keystone species. In this one it is a little bug that causes havoc in the ecosystem.
Link: http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/4546/20131021/poorly-camouflaged-insects-bring-cascade-effects-local-ecosystems.htm
How has the stick bug's camouflage kept it hidden from predators, while other insects camouflage has now been detected by predators?
ReplyDeleteWhy has the stick bug evolved to have camouflage that is useless in California?
ReplyDelete