Where do wood fleas come from? - briefly
Wood fleas, also called woodlice, develop in damp, decaying timber and leaf litter where moisture and fungal growth support their life cycle. Their eggs hatch in these moist substrates, allowing the juveniles to mature within the same environment.
Where do wood fleas come from? - in detail
Wood fleas, commonly known as terrestrial isopods or woodlice, belong to the order Isopoda and are crustaceans that have fully adapted to life on land. Their ancestors were marine organisms that migrated to freshwater and eventually to terrestrial habitats during the Paleozoic era, allowing them to exploit new ecological niches.
These arthropods thrive in environments that provide constant moisture and a supply of decaying organic material. Typical settings include:
- Moist, decomposing wood and bark
- Leaf litter and humus layers
- Under stones, logs, and garden mulch
- Damp soil with abundant fungal growth
The life cycle proceeds through egg, several juvenile instars, and adult stages. Females carry fertilized eggs in a brood pouch (the marsupium) until they hatch as miniature replicas of the adult, bypassing a free‑swimming larval phase. Reproduction is rapid in warm, humid conditions, leading to dense local populations.
Geographically, wood fleas are present on every continent except Antarctica. Temperate and subtropical regions host the greatest diversity, while some species have adapted to arid or high‑altitude environments by seeking microhabitats that retain moisture.
Key environmental drivers of their occurrence are:
- Relative humidity above 70 % to prevent desiccation
- Temperatures ranging from 10 °C to 25 °C for optimal metabolic activity
- Availability of detritus, fungi, and microorganisms as food sources
- Shelter that reduces exposure to predators and extreme weather
In summary, the origin of wood fleas traces back to marine crustaceans that transitioned to land millions of years ago, and their contemporary distribution reflects a reliance on moist, detritus‑rich habitats across a broad global range.