Adaptations: Mating and Defense in Insects Insects have had millions of years to adapt to their environment. Some do so by enhancing their defenses through stingers like wasps and bees. Others do so by increasing their chances of finding a mate by evolution through color, size, shape, and many other contributing factors. Although there are many other ways that insects have adapted to their environments in order to survive, such as mimicry and mind control, the two main examples we will be looking at is adaptive reproductive and defense strategies and how those adaptations have been able to increase the survival of the insect. Take the Bombardier beetle. It has a defense in place that allows them to spray an acid on its attacker. Most research has been done externally to the beetle, until recently when MIT decided to further their research and found out what actually happens. We know the chemicals are created and heated inside the insect’s body before they release them. The spray
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