Citation
Silent night: adaptive disappearance of a sexual signal in a parasitized population of field crickets
TL;DR
Cricket populations can evolve silent morphs within 20 generations under eavesdropper pressure
This study documented one of the fastest observed examples of evolution in response to acoustic eavesdropping. When parasitoid flies that locate hosts by cricket calls were introduced to Kauai in 1991, the cricket population evolved 'flatwing' males within just twenty generations - a mutation eliminating wing structures needed for calling.
This demonstrates how signaling systems evolve under eavesdropper pressure. For organizations, it's a reminder that any public acoustic signal (earnings calls, press releases, conference presentations) will be monitored by competitors, and communication strategies must account for unintended receivers.
Key Findings from Zuk et al. (2006)
- Cricket populations can evolve silent morphs within 20 generations under eavesdropper pressure
- Flatwing mutation eliminates wing structures needed for acoustic signaling
- Silent males adopt satellite strategy, intercepting females attracted by calling males
- Rapid evolution demonstrates strong selection pressure from acoustic eavesdroppers