A5045848805- Fossil Insects in Amber
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Plant and animal studies
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny
- Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Diptera species taxonomy and behavior
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Time Series Analysis and Forecasting
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy
- Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
Natural History Museum
2014-2022
University of Portsmouth
2019
University of York
2011-2016
National Museums Scotland
2014-2016
Insects and their six-legged relatives (Hexapoda) comprise more than half of all described species dominate terrestrial freshwater ecosystems. Understanding the macroevolutionary processes generating this richness requires a historical perspective, but fossil record hexapods is patchy incomplete. Dated molecular phylogenies provide an alternative perspective on divergence times have been combined with birth-death models to infer patterns diversification across range taxonomic groups. Here we...
Explaining the taxonomic richness of insects, comprising over half all described species, is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Previously, several novelties (key innovations) have been posited to contribute that richness, including insect bauplan, wings, wing folding and complete metamorphosis, but evidence their relative importance modes action sparse equivocal. Here, new dataset on first last occurrences fossil hexapod (insects close relatives) families used show basal winged...
The first and last occurrences of hexapod families in the fossil record are compiled from publications up to end-2009. major features these data compared with those previous datasets (1993 1994). About a third (>400) new since 1994, over half earlier, existing have experienced changes their known stratigraphic range only about ten percent unchanged ranges. Despite significant additions knowledge, broad pattern described richness through time remains similar, increasing steadily geological...
Abstract Chelonians are ectothermic, with an extensive fossil record preserved in diverse palaeoenvironmental settings: consequently, they represent excellent models for investigating organismal response to long-term environmental change. We present the first Mesozoic chelonian taxic richness curve, subsampled remove geological/collection biases, and demonstrate that their palaeolatitudinal distributions were climate mediated. At Jurassic/Cretaceous transition, marine taxa exhibit minimal...
The fossil record has suggested that clade growth may differ in marine and terrestrial taxa, supporting equilibrial models the former expansionist latter. However, incomplete sampling bias findings based on data alone. To attempt to correct for such bias, we assemble phylogenetic supertrees one of oldest clades insects, Odonatoidea (dragonflies, damselflies their extinct relatives), using MRP MRC. We use trees determine when, what clades, changes taxonomic richness have occurred. then test...
Insects are a hyper-diverse group, comprising nearly three-quarters of all named animal species on the Earth, but environmental drivers their richness and roles ecological interactions evolutionary innovations remain unclear. Previous studies have argued that family-level insect increased continuously over history inclusion extant family records artificially inflated relative younger time intervals. Here we apply sampling-standardization methods to species-level database fossil occurrences,...
Ectotherms have close physiological ties with the thermal environment; consequently, impact of future climate change on their biogeographic distributions is major interest. Here, we use modern and deep-time fossil record testudines (turtles, tortoises, terrapins) to provide first test niche limits both extant extinct (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) taxa. Ecological models are used assess overlap in model projections for key testudine ecotypes families. An ordination framework applied...
ABSTRACT The Diptera fauna from the late Eocene of Isle Wight (Bembridge Marls) is studied including redescriptions formerly described material. includes following taxa: Anisopodidae – one species; Bibionidae 11 Ceratopogonidae and two unidentified Chironomidae undetermined species three subfamilies; Culicidae four Cylindrotomidae Dixidae Keroplatidae Limoniidae 31 Mycetophilidae 14 Psychodidae Scatopsidae Sciaridae Simuliidae an unnamed Tipulidae nine species. Brachycera: Agromyzidae...
The latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG)—the pattern of increasing taxonomic richness with decreasing latitude—is prevalent in the structure modern biota. However, some freshwater taxa show peak at mid-latitudes; for example, extant Testudines (turtles, terrapins and tortoises) exhibit their greatest diversity 25° N, a sometimes attributed to recent bursts climatically mediated species diversification. Here, we test whether this also characterizes Mesozoic distribution turtles, determine...
Past responses to environmental change provide vital baseline data for estimating the potential resilience of extant taxa future change. Here, we investigate latitudinal range contraction that terrestrial and freshwater turtles (Testudinata) experienced from Late Cretaceous Paleogene (100.5-23.03 mya) in response major climatic changes. We apply ecological niche modeling (ENM) reconstruct turtle niches, using ancient modern distribution data, paleogeographic reconstructions, HadCM3L climate...
The purpose of this application, under Articles 29 and 55.3 the Code, is to remove homonymy between family-group names omalidae Handlirsch, 1904 (Insecta, Archaeorthoptera) MacLeay, 1825 Coleoptera), which are homonyms due similarity their respective type genera Omalia Beneden & Coemans, 1867 Omalium Gravenhorst, 1802, xenopteridae Pinto, 1986 Megasecoptera) Riek, 1955 Orthoptera), type-genera Xenoptera Xenopterum 1955. It proposed that stem generic name be emended Omalia- give omaliaidae,...
The purpose of this note, under Article 39, is to propose the replacement name boltonocostidae for invalid orthocostidae Bolton, 1912, a monotypic family fossil insects (Insecta, Hypoperlida) Carboniferous age.