When Galápagos hawks diverge into distinct populations, so too do the lice that call their feathers home.
A field study led by researchers at the University of Arizona looked at populations of Galápagos hawks and parasitic lice that live in their feathers, finding that lice are passed on from mother hawks to babies during brooding, a mechanism analogous to the inheritance of genes.
The study has suggests that co-divergence - where associated species simultaneously split and evolve into new species - between parasites and hosts is a significant mechanism driving the evolution of biodiversity.
Read more at The University of Arizona