As you study two closely related predatory insect species, the two- spot and the three- spot avenger beetles, you notice that ea
ch species seeks prey at dawn in areas without the other species. However, where their ranges overlap, the two- spot avenger beetle hunts at night and the three- spot hunts in the morning. When you bring them into the laboratory and isolate the two different species, you discover that the offspring of both species are found to be nocturnal. You have discovered an example of _____.
Character displacement is an evolutionary divergence that occurs to two similar type of species that live or inhabit an enviroment. As with all living organisms, natural selection favors those who can change, adapt, evolve in any way (could be a behavior, morphological or physiological change) to reduce their competitive pressure for resources, increasing their chance for survival. Another very interesting fact is that, even if character displacement occurs in many species living in the same enviroment, if said enviroment is changed (just like in the example) the displacement will be undone. As in the exercise, when in the enviroment both types of beetles seek prey without the other. But, in the laboratory, both are nocturnal. This is a trait of character displacement in which if the enviroment factor is changed, it might dissapear.
