Insect relationships and evolution in deep time

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.

This project will have a range of beneficiaries in terms of economic and societal impacts. Palaeontology is a key subject for building enthusiasm and interest in science through public engagement - for example, DinoZone at the 2015 Cheltenham Science Festival, organised and staffed by the University of Manchester's palaeontologists, attracted 13,755 public attendees over the course of a week in 2015. The wider public are hence key beneficiaries of this project. In particular, the results - whose dissemination will be achieved through the pathways to impact - will be a very valuable tool for increasing public awareness of the importance of both fossils and insects. A focus of this outreach will be will be conveying the importance of palaeontology for understanding current pressures on ecosystems, the insects' key role in land-based ecosystems, and the contribution of wild insects to ecological services. This will in itself be highly beneficial, enabling education, and allowing members of the public to act as informed citizens, whilst inspiring a new generation of researchers. Furthermore, it will have direct impact on the support for conservation and study programmes. A clearer understanding in the public of the importance of the UK's fossil heritage, and role of insects in the UK economy will aid policy-makers through this increased support, and aid the government / government agencies and regulators when enforcing conservation programs (and in other conservation settings, e.g. tinyurl.com/mn65wht). That the results will have significant implications for our understanding of the history of the insects and the timing of their terrestrialisation, impacts on the public sector: numerous UK museums and galleries already display fossil insects (e.g. Natural History Museum, London; National Museums of Scotland), and the results of this project will inform these displays; many of these were collected in the Victorian Era, and it will demonstrate to the public that this rich cultural history of palaeontological investigation continues to this day. The proposed Summer of Science stand and its subsequent use within the museum sector for events such as the EU-wide Science Uncovered, and in Manchester Museum events will also impact on the museum sector. The PDRA staff working on this project will develop a wide-ranging skillset in phylogenetic methods, and a significant depth of knowledge of the insects, their evolutionary relationships, and their fossil record. Both skillsets will be directly beneficial for careers in palaeontology, evolutionary biology, or the heritage sector, and the outreach activities will prepare them equally well for a career within science communication. These impacts will occur within the three years of the project's course due to the continued efforts in two-way outreach events such as the proposed Summer of Science stand, and a regular blog on an already-popular and highly visible website (palaeontologyonline.com).