Rocks instead of clocks: Bayesian modelling of the fossil record enlightens the diversification and extinction of Hemiptera in deep time

Seminar by Mr. Mathieu Boderau from MusÉum National D'Histoire Naturelle, 
Department Origines & Evolution
Date: Feb. 25th(Wed) 
Time: 14:00 - 14:40

Mr. Mathieu Boderau is French PhD student at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (Paris, France). His research focuses on the evolutionary history of insect lineages and he mainly has worked on Hemiptera (like cicadas, hoppers or true bugs) during my Ph.D. He studies this wide problematic under three main components. Firstly, taxonomy with the description of extant and extinct insects. Secondly, phylogenetics to elucidate the relationships between the groups and estimate their divergence times. Lastly, the diversification dynamics within this major insect group using bayesian analysis of the fossil record or under strict phylogenetic framework.

Title: Rocks instead of clocks: Bayesian modelling of the fossil record enlightens the 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 with 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. We also the recently developed Bayesian Brownian Bridge model, which estimates the timing of lineage origin and extinction through fossil-based Bayesian modelling, to provide a temporal framework for the rise and fall of 310 major hemipteran lineages.