This process is called sublimation. The opposite (deposition) is where a gas turns directly into a solid. Sublimation occurs if the pressure and temperature are right for the specific substance, so that the solid phase in a phase diagram borders the gas phase.
Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. Some species have much longer life cycles, such as the North American genus, Magicicada, which has a number of distinct broods that go through either a 17-year or, in some parts of the world, a 13-year life cycle.
âItâs a garish beast.â. In its ecosystem role, the cicada invasion is like a Las Vegas smorgasbord for animal and bird predators. âEverybody eats 17-year cicadas. One evolutionary advantage of being underground for 16 years is that no above-ground predator can specialize in eating the periodical cicadas,â says Gilbert.For cicadas, the best defense simply may be predator satiation.âThere are so many cicadas, that predators get full, and they canât eat another bite.ne evolutionary advantage of being underground for 16 years is that no above-ground predator can specialize in eating the periodical cicadas,â says Gilbert. For cicadas, the best defense simply may be predator satiation. âThere are so many cicadas, that predators get full, and they canât eat another bite.