Fruit Odors Lure Some Flies To Evolve Into New Species
For apple maggots, the dating scene is simple -- flies only mate on a specific host fruit. Using new technology developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University researchers have demonstrated that this fact of fly life has resulted in the emergence of two distinct races of the pest in just 150 years.
This reproductive isolation is seen as the first step on the road to the flies evolving into two separate species.