| The hexapods, ancestors to insects, were perhaps the first animals to adapt to land. The figure shows the fossil record for major groups of animals. One explanation for why there are so many different kinds of insects is the fact that they evolved in a competition-free area. Meanwhile, the other incredibly successful group, the crustaceans became dominant in the ocean. The crustaceans include the crabs, the amphipods, and the isopods. Of these, only the isopods which include rollypolies have been successful in leaving water entirely. The transition to land by crustaceans may be limited by the presence of insects, and the opposite may also true. |
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In ecology, the principle of competitive exclusion dictates that when two similar organisms compete for the same limited resource, eventually only one organism will remain in the niche. The fact that some insects can overcome high salinity, low oxygen, and the cold, dark, deep waters suggest that other factors limit their colonization of the ocean. In this web page, we have investigated four of the most prevalent hypotheses for the absence of insects from the ocean. Can you think of others? If you are ready, you can look at our conclusions or consider other alternatives at the hypotheses page. |
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