Life's six-legged survivors – evolutionary study shows beetles are in it for the long run

New tree of life shows modern-day beetles evolved during time of the dinosaurs<em> - News Release</em>

Imperial College London News Release

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1900 hours GMT / 1400 hours US Eastern Time
Thursday 20 December 2007

Most modern-day groups of beetles have been around since the time of the dinosaurs and have been diversifying ever since, says new research out in Science today (Friday 21 December 2007).

There are approximately 350,000 species of beetles on Earth, and probably millions more yet to be discovered, accounting for about 25 per cent of all known life forms on the planet. The reason for this large number of beetle species has been debated by scientists for many years, but never resolved.

Now a team of scientists has shown that large numbers of modern-day beetle lineages evolved very soon after the first beetles originated, and have persisted ever since. Many modern-day lineages first appeared during the Jurassic period, when the major groups of dinosaurs appeared too.

Lead scientist on the study, Professor Alfried Vogler from Imperial College London's Department of Life Sciences and the Natural History Museum's Department of Entomology, explains: "The large number of beetle species existing today could very well be a direct result of this early evolution and the fact that there has been a very high rate of survival and continuous diversification of many lineages since then."

The team behind today's new study – the most extensive of its kind to date - used DNA sequencing and fossil records to compile a comprehensive evolutionary 'family tree' for beetles. By comparing DNA sequences from 1,880 beetle species, the scientists were able to group beetle species that are descended from a common ancestor, enabling them to build an evolutionary tree for all the species included. Fossils of known ages were then used to date key moments of evolution and diversification on the tree.

Prior to this study the survival success of beetles had been attributed to herbivory - feeding on plants - and the rise of flowering plants in the Cretaceous era, which started some 140 million years ago. However, mapping species numbers onto the evolutionary tree shows that many modern beetle lineages significantly pre-date the appearance of the first flowering plants.

Beetles have displayed an exceptional ability to seize new ecological opportunities and develop a great range of life styles and feeding types, explains Professor Vogler. "Unlike the dinosaurs which dwindled to extinction, beetles survived because of their ecological diversity and adaptability," he says.

The scientific team says that understanding the evolution of beetles is an important part of understanding the natural world: "With beetles forming such a large proportion of all known species, learning about their relationships and evolution gives us important new insights into the origin of biodiversity and how beetles have triumphed over the course of nearly 300 million years," said Professor Vogler.

-Ends-

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Notes to Editors:

1. 'A comprehensive phylogeny of beetles reveals the evolutionary origins of a superradiation,' Science, 21 December 2007.

Toby Hunt (1, 2), Johnannes Bergsten (1, 2), Zuzana Levkanicova (3), Anna Papadopoulou (1, 2), Oliver St John (1, 2), Ruth Wild (1, 2), Peter M Hammond (1), Dirk Ahrens (4), Michael Balke (1, 4), Michael S Caterino (1, 5), Jesus Gomez-Zurita, (1, 6), Ignacia Ribera (7), Timothy G Barraclough (2), Milada Bocakova (8), Ladislav Bocak (3) and Alfried Vogler (1, 2).

(1) Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD.
(2) Department of Biology, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY.
(3) Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, tr. Svobody 26, 77146 Lolmouc, Czech Republic
(4) Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247 München, Germany.
(5) Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105–2998, USA.
(6) Fisiologia i Biodiversitat Molecular, IBMBCSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
(7) Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006Madrid, Spain.
(8) Department of Biology, Pedagogical Faculty, Palacky University, Purkrabska 2, 77140 Olomouc, Czech Republic.

2. About Imperial College London

Rated as the world's fifth best university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts over 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 66 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense. Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Imperial's founding charter on 8 July 1907.

Website: www.imperial.ac.uk

3. About the Natural History Museum

Winner of the 2006 Independent award for the UK's favourite museum, gallery or heritage attraction at the Museum and Heritage Awards for Excellence, the Natural History Museum is also a world-leading science research centre. Through its collections and scientific expertise, the Museum is helping to conserve the extraordinary richness and diversity of the natural world with groundbreaking projects in 68 countries.