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Diversification and extinction of Hemiptera in deep time

Abstract:
Untangling the patterns and drivers behind the diversification and extinction of highly diversified lineages remains a challenge in evolutionary biology. While insect diversification has been widely studied through the “Big Four” insect orders (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera), the fifth most diverse order, Hemiptera, has often been overlooked. Hemiptera exhibit a rich fossil record and are highly diverse in present-day ecosystems, with many lineages closely associated to their host plants, making them a crucial group for studying how past ecological shifts—such as mass extinctions and floral turnovers—have influenced insect diversification. This study leverages birth-death models in a Bayesian framework and the fossil record of Hemiptera to estimate their past diversity dynamics. Our results reveal that global changes in flora over time significantly shaped the evolutionary trajectories of Hemiptera. Two major faunal turnovers particularly influenced Hemiptera diversification: (i) the aftermath of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction and (ii) the Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution. Our analyses suggest that diversification of Hemiptera clades was driven by floristic shifts combined with competitive pressures from overlapping ecological niches. Leveraging the extensive fossil record of Hemiptera allowed us to refine our understanding of diversification patterns across major hemipteran lineages.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1038/s42003-025-07773-x

Authors

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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-7088-9560
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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-4241-7651
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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
GLAM
Department:
Museum of Natural History
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-3680-5172


Publisher:
Springer Nature
Journal:
Communications Biology More from this journal
Volume:
8
Issue:
1
Article number:
352
Publication date:
2025-03-03
Acceptance date:
2025-02-18
DOI:
EISSN:
2399-3642


Language:
English
Pubs id:
2093430
Local pid:
pubs:2093430
Deposit date:
2025-03-04
ARK identifier:

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