Tiny Divers Challenge a Major Theory About Ocean Insects - SciTechDaily
scitechdaily.com
Lake fly larvae dive hundreds of meters using pressure-resistant air sacs — a trick that upends the leading theory for why insects vanished from the ocean.
Evolutionary Constraint TheoryCompetitive Exclusion PrincipleNiche TheoryPhysiological Adaptation
Theory Briefing
- Lake fly larvae can dive hundreds of meters deep, a feat scientists thought impossible for air-breathing insects.
- Pressure-resistant air sacs let the larvae survive crushing depths, directly challenging the theory that pressure drove insects out of the ocean.
- The discovery complicates a long-standing explanation for one of biology's great puzzles: why insects never conquered the sea.