How locusts avoid cannibalism
"Cannibalism is a common characteristic of all locusts, especially when they are deficient in protein." Image: craftvision/iStockphoto When people think of locusts they are likely to picture the swarms which affect the lives of one in ten people in the world through their harmful impact on agriculture.But in fact locusts are both solitary and social animals, and new research by the university of Sydney and international researchers suggests cannibalism has played a crucial role in the evolution of this behavioural transformation.Whether an individual locust becomes solitary or swarming depends on its experience of being crowded. Previously scientists at the University uncovered what triggers the change but the evolutionary advantage of locusts being in two forms remained unknown until this current research, recently published in Ecology Letters."Our work also found that once the locusts are on the march it requires a much greater reduction in population density to trigger a return to the...