Phylogenetic Relationships of the Lacewings (Insecta:Neuroptera)

昆虫代表着地球上最多样化和物种最丰富的有机体群体之一。昆虫辐射最大的一种是全息变态昆虫，包括常见的昆虫，如蝴蝶、甲虫、苍蝇和花翅。与甲壳虫关系密切的花叶类被认为是全息类中最原始的类群之一。草鱼代表了各种各样奇怪和独特的生活史，但它们彼此之间的进化关系以及这些独特生活史的发展却鲜为人知。我们正在利用来自多个基因的DNA序列数据以及对形态特征的详细调查来研究17个鞋类科群的历史关系。这两个信息来源将用分支方法进行分析，以建立进化关系的系统发育或‘系统树’。根据分子和形态数据的分析提出的系统发育树将形成一个模板，以制定草类的自然分类。这棵树还将被用来测试在不同情况下各种生活史的发展假说，包括草鸟的始祖是水生的还是陆生的。这一研究结果可以用来加深我们对昆虫进化过程的理解。本项目中探索的分子和形态特征系统和基因将有助于解决其他昆虫的类似年龄的辐射，特别是对全代谢类昆虫，如大翅目(斗蝇)、快翅目(蛇蝇)和鞘翅目(甲虫)。该项目还将为博士后科学家和本科生的教育和职业发展提供机会，并促进科学家之间的跨机构合作。

Insects represent one of the most diverse and species-rich groups of organisms inhabiting the earth. One of the largest radiations of insects is the Holometabola, or insects that undergo metamorphosis, and includes familiar insects such as butterflies, beetles, flies, and lacewings. Closely related to beetles, lacewings are considered one of the most primitive groups of Holometabola. Lacewings represent a wide diversity of strange and unique life histories, but their evolutionary relationships to each other and the development of these unique life histories are poorly understood. We are examining the historical relationships of the 17 family-groups of lacewings using DNA sequence data from multiple genes, as well as detailed investigations of morphological characteristics. These two sources of information will be analysed using cladistic methodology to develop a phylogenetic or 'family tree' of evolutionary relationships.The phylogenetic tree proposed from the analysis of both molecular and morphological data will then form the template for developing a natural classification of the groups of lacewings. This tree will further be used to test hypotheses of development of various life histories under different scenarios, including whether the first ancestors of lacewings were aquatic or terrestrial in origin. The results of this research can be used to further our understanding of the processes of insect evolution. Molecular and morphological character systems and genes explored in this project will be useful in resolving similar-aged radiations in other insects, especially for holometabolan relatives such as Megaloptera (dobsonflies), Raphidioptera (snakeflies) and Coleoptera (beetles). This project will also provide opportunities for education and career development of a postdoctoral scientist and undergraduate students, as well as foster cross-instituional collaborations between scientists.