### q4 locust phasing is adaptive > One theory to explain why locusts adapted to have such phase changes, according to Song, is that the switch is a response to a changing environment. About 8 million years ago, as Northern Africa shifted from tropical forests to desert, migratory swarming locusts could hop from one oasis of vegetation to the next, or shift back to a solitary phase if there was plenty of food and space in one place. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fn7bd3vfekfyt8c2tk0s4t2w) - [[What Are Locusts and Why Do They Swarm by Greg Uyeno#q4 locust phasing is adaptive|View in Vault]]