Scientists have documented three species of wasps turning into three new species, an unusual close-up view of rapid evolution in action.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team found that evolutionary changes in one species of fruit fly triggered a cascade of evolutionary changes in three species of wasps that are predators of the fruit fly.
As a result, not only did the fruit fly evolve into a new species, but so did each of the wasps. The speciation process took a mere 160 years. The research sheds light not only on how some new life-forms originate, but also how quickly it can happen.
“We tend to think of evolution occurring over millions of years,” said Scott Egan,evolutionary biologist at Rice University and co-author of the study. “What jumped out at me is that [a new species] can emerge in contemporary time.”READ MORE--http://www.wsj.com/articles/scientists-observe-wasps-evolving-into-new-species-1446229404
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