Monday, August 17, 2026
Science

Flightless beetles evolved distinct snail-hunting shapes on Japan's largest island

Islands are widely recognized as natural laboratories of evolution. The ocean restricts movement among islands, allowing isolated populations to adapt to different environments and, at times, diverge into new species. However, on large islands, geographic distance may restrict movement, while enviro...

Flightless beetles evolved distinct snail-hunting shapes on Japan's largest island
Image: Phys.org
Islands are widely recognized as natural laboratories of evolution. The ocean restricts movement among islands, allowing isolated populations to adapt to different environments and, at times, diverge into new species. However, on large islands, geographic distance may restrict movement, while environmental variation may impose divergent selection, thereby promoting adaptive divergence. Does adaptive divergence occur not only among islands but also within islands?

Originally published at Phys.org

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