Insect relationships and evolution in deep time

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Insects are the most diverse animal group: there are more than one million described species, which are key contributors to ecosystems on land. This makes the insects very important, but uncertainty remains regarding their origins and evolution. For example, how did their wings evolve, and from what? Over what timescale did their diversification take place? What makes them so successful? Limited knowledge on these, and other key questions, results from uncertain evolutionary relationships within the insects, especially amongst fossil groups which provide direct insights into the group's evolution. Analyses using the DNA of extant species are starting to resolve relationships between living orders, but the important early branching events in insect history remain problematic. This is because there are no testable, insect-wide analyses that place extinct orders - or extinct species likely to belong to living orders - on the insect tree of life. We propose a study that does just this, using established, computer-based approaches. It will include fossils from all extinct orders, and a range of other fossil species, which will be complemented by modern species and their DNA data. The project will be carried out at the University of Manchester by an interdisciplinary team and will allow us to create the first evolutionary tree of all insect orders, both living and dead. This will allow us to better understand the origin of insect wings; branching events early in insect evolution (i.e. how insects are related to each other at the deepest level); whether periods when the insects became more diverse very quickly are linked to evolutionary novelties or ecological developments; and the dynamics of major evolutionary changes. Improved clarity in insect relationships will result, and will be key to long-term research surrounding evolutionary processes, and the factors behind the group's success. This is a timely and multidisciplinary piece of work which will have international impact. The project will also provide the opportunity to engage the public, improving knowledge of both the insects, and of evolution itself.