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Eusociality and the success of the termites: insights from a supertree of dictyopteran families
Author(s) -
DAVIS R. B.,
BALDAUF S. L.,
MAYHEW P. J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01789.x
Subject(s) - eusociality , biology , supertree , species richness , ecology , diversification (marketing strategy) , cockroach , sociality , evolutionary biology , zoology , phylogenetics , hymenoptera , biochemistry , marketing , business , gene
Sociality in insects may negatively impact on species richness. We tested whether termites have experienced shifts in diversification rates through time. Supertree methods were used to synthesize family‐level relationships within termites, cockroaches and mantids. A deep positive shift in diversification rate is found within termites, but not in the cockroaches from which they evolved. The shift is responsible for most of their extant species richness suggesting that eusociality is not necessarily detrimental to species richness, and may sometimes have a positive effect. Mechanistic studies of speciation and extinction in eusocial insects are advocated.