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Evolutionary history of Zygaenidae: first comprehensive higher-level phylogeny and the estimated timing of lineage divergence

Mirić, Mirela (2021) BION03 20201
Degree Projects in Biology
Popular Abstract
The 83 million year old family tree of burnet moths

To classify the living world around them, early on humans started naming plants and animals in order to distinguish food from non-food, predator from prey, etc. In 1800s a practice of a more formal way of classifying the living world was started, in which using Latin names made the classification universal. The unique appearances were used to distinguish groups from each other, but could also inform us about who was related to whom. The topic of this thesis is to reconstruct the family tree of a group of moths. There are 160 000 species of butterflies and moths, whose shared characteristic is wings covered in scales. Sixteen times more diverse than birds, butterflies and moths are... (More)
The 83 million year old family tree of burnet moths

To classify the living world around them, early on humans started naming plants and animals in order to distinguish food from non-food, predator from prey, etc. In 1800s a practice of a more formal way of classifying the living world was started, in which using Latin names made the classification universal. The unique appearances were used to distinguish groups from each other, but could also inform us about who was related to whom. The topic of this thesis is to reconstruct the family tree of a group of moths. There are 160 000 species of butterflies and moths, whose shared characteristic is wings covered in scales. Sixteen times more diverse than birds, butterflies and moths are considered the largest group of insects feeding on plants with an important role in the environment as they are pollinators, prey, herbivores and, from our anthropological perspective, pests.

The burnet moths, or scientifically Zygaenidae (Fig. 1), are day-flying moths with a worldwide distribution. They are known for their aposematic coloration, which means having a brightly colored body to warn predators of their ability to release toxic chemical substances upon disturbance. However, their evolutionary history is poorly known, with first and only evolutionary study based on molecular data published fifteen years ago. To explore evolutionary history of burnet moths we carried out an analysis of DNA sequences extracted from around 200 species. In addition to obtaining the sequences directly in the lab, we also gathered all publicly available sequences of burnet moths to create the most comprehensive molecular dataset. This dataset was analysed using statistical methods that result in a phylogenetic tree. The phylogenetic tree is a graphical visualization of the estimated evolutionary relationships among organisms, in other words a family tree. The relationships among the major groups were resolved with high statistical support. In addition to this, we also estimated that these moths are around 83 million years old. Based on this result, we suggest that Zygaenidae ancestors have survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction, the event which happened around 66 million years ago and ended the age of dinosaurs.

Our results provide a basis for future biogeographical, evolutionary and conservation studies. In the times when global diversity is being lost, it is important to understand and bring awareness to the organisms in our environment and their biology as they are in need of protection.

Master’s Degree Project in Biology, 60 credits, 2021
Department of Biology, Lund University
Supervisor: Jadranka Rota
Systematic Biology Group, Biological Museum, Department of Biology (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mirić, Mirela
supervisor
organization
course
BION03 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9057810
date added to LUP
2021-06-22 15:09:41
date last changed
2021-06-22 15:09:41
@misc{9057810,
  author       = {{Mirić, Mirela}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Evolutionary history of Zygaenidae: first comprehensive higher-level phylogeny and the estimated timing of lineage divergence}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}