Shouldn’t bugs adapt faster than humans?

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I hear folks saying bugs are dying off because of changes in the environment, but shouldn’t bugs be some of the best equipped to handle changes? I imagine they reproduce faster than humans, and so I’d think their genes could adjust faster as well. You’d think we’d be having a worse time than bugs as the environment changes?

In: Biology

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Anonymous 0 Comments

They do. Some bugs are thriving.

See [peppered moth](https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/why-moths-matter/amazing-moths/peppered-moth-and-natural-selection) for example of real-time natural selection

The bugs dying off you are hearing about are those not being selected for survival. You just hear about others because usually those thriving in climate change are not beneficial to human desires. [E.g.](https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/impacts/climate-change-drive-surge-insects-attack-almonds-peaches-walnuts#:~:text=Populations%20of%20three%20major%20insect,of%20Agriculture%20California%20Climate%20Hub.)

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