A / NEWS / WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15,2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
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Researchers, including a KU professor, are studying the evolution of lacewings.
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EVOLUTION
Ancient insects were able to blend in, fossils show
Contributed photo
BY KELLY STRODA kstroda@kansan.com
Fossilized remains of lacewings, which died out in prehistoric times, were discovered in China.
Contributed photo
Just 165 million years ago, ferns would gently sway in the warm breeze. Ancient lacewings, a net-winged insect, would rest on the leaves — almost motionless — while insectivorous dinosaurs would stride by, not noticing their potential prey.
"This discovery highlights that complex predator-avoidance mechanisms evolved early in insect evolution," Engel said in an e-mail while he was out of the country.
A team of researchers, including Michael Engel, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, concluded these fossilized lacewings represent the earliest examples of mimicry by insects.
that's because the wings of the insect acted almost like disguise, closely resembling the leaves where the lacewing perched.
The fossilized lacewings were found in northeastern China, about 275 miles northeast of Beijing.
Hinojosa, a graduate student in entomology from Mexico City.
Insect mimicry, an evolutionary adaptation that allows insects to blend into their environments to evade predators, is common in the insect world.
A variety of living insects, including butterflies, moths and praying mantises, use this tactic to avoid predators.
"If you look like a plant and you live in the plant, it wouldn't be easy for the thing that wants to eat you to find you," said Ismael
Engel said.
Dan Bennett, a graduate student in entomology from George, Wash., said that this was somewhat surprising because insect mimicry is widespread today.
However, examples of insect mimicry on the fossil record are rare.
MICHAEL ENGEL professor of ecology
"Nothing really existed for our understanding of the earliest phases in mimesis evolution."
"Nothing really existed for our understanding of the earliest phases in mimesis evolution."
The lace-wing mimicked gymnosperms — seed-bearing plants — such as ferns and conifers.
When angiosperms, or flowering plants, gained dominance about 145.5 million years ago, the lacewings likely died out.
Modern-day insects have not adapted to mimic these types of plants.
The ancient insect's wings
helped it blend into its environment. In botany, pinnate leaves have small leaflets on each side of a stem. The forewings of the lace-wings mimicked pinnate leaves. Research shows that the wings were mostly green with a clear netting in between. The wingspan of the insect was about four to five inches. The lacewings likely employed behavioral adaptation called "adaptive stillness." Engel said the insects would remain still or even attempt to gently sway mimicking the plant moving in the breeze.
The lacewings would use their appearance and adaptation to dodge predators such as insectivorous dinosaurs, early birds mammals or spiders.
—Edited By Emily McCoy
STUDENT SENATE
Student Senate leaders' actions impress former Envision foes
Despite a sizeable defeat in last spring's Student Senate election, members of the minority coalition Envision have voiced early support for Student Body President Michael Wade Smith.
KUnited's victory stands unprecedented in recent history. Smith and Vice President Megan Ritter won 66 percent of the votes, 35 percentage points more than the Envision candidates. Their coalition also won 50 of the 61 available senate seats, a two-thirds super majority.
He made a lot of claims and I didn't know whether or not he would follow through on them," said Kellee Kirkpatrick, one of 11 Envision senators. "He's really shown to me that he has some legitimacy as a leader."
BY MICHAEL HOLTZ
mholtz@kansan.com
"It's a statement that if you don't do what you promised to do, you'll look very bad in the public light," Smith said. "It won't just damage you and your reputation as a leader, but it will damage your coalition that should have a brand of getting things done."
in the three preceding elections, no coalition won more than 39 seats; no presidential and vice presidential team won more than 51 percent of the votes; and the margin of victory was less than 10 percentage points in the presidential and vice presidential race.
A Senate with personal animosities and political infighting has transformed into what Smith said was a more cohesive, and potentially more effective, student government.
Smith
Smith said he was both excited and cautious about KUnited's super majority, aware that it could potentially prevent active discussion.
Ritter
"One of my concerns was that we were not going to have a real year in student government," Smith said. "We were not going to have to fight for what's right. When you don't have the opportunity to have constructive conversations in Student Senate, your ideas don't get better."
But if last
But if last Wednesday's Senate meeting was any indication, coalition loyalty during campaign season did not
translate into unequivocal support in Senate.
He at ed debates erupted over two separate bills. Members from both coalitions voiced support and opposition to the proposed
Kirkpatrick said coalition loyalty isn't entirely abandoned on election day, however — it merely becomes less influential. After spending weeks together during campaign season, she said members of a coalition couldn't help but grow emotionally attached to
For some elected students, coalitions matter little outside of campaign season. Once elected, senators do what's in the best interest of the students they represent without regard for their coalition ties, said Senator Jim Stoutenborough, a graduate student from Louisburg.
"One of my concerns was that we were not going to have a real year in student government."
"I think that says a lot for our coalition and the students who won," Smith said. "We still have a group of people who are willing to battle and stand up for what they think is right. What they thought was right wasn't necessarily what was coming through in a bill from the executive staff."
MEGAN RITTER Student Body Vice President
Both bills eventually passed and Smith said he was encouraged by the discussions they triggered.
legislation: a salary increase for members of the Student Executive Committee and general funding for KU Birthright, a new student organization.
one another.
1
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that," said Kirkpatrick, a Ph.D. student from Ellinwood. "Some of those feelings of coalitions still remain, but I
think that people genuinely want to work together to see good things happen for campus."
Edited by Dana Meredith