Functional and evolutionary synergy of trait components can explain the existence of leaf masquerade in katydids.

Abstract excerpt

One of the most enduring mysteries in biology concerns the evolution of complex adaptations made up of interacting component traits. When these component traits do not enhance fitness independently of one another, their origin requires that they evolve sequentially through intermediate steps that do not produce their full adaptive value as a combined trait, or alternatively, that they arise via simultaneous,...

Topics

• Animals
• Orthoptera
• Phenotype
• Biological Coevolution
• Biological Evolution
• Plant Leaves
• Biological Mimicry