Phylogenomic analysis reveals bees and wasps (Hymenoptera) at the base of the radiation of Holometabolous insects
- Joël Savard1,
- Diethard Tautz1,
- Stephen Richards2,
- George M. Weinstock2,
- Richard A. Gibbs2,
- John H. Werren3,
- Hervé Tettelin4, and
- Martin J. Lercher5,6,7
- 1 Abteilung für Evolutionsgenetik, Institut für Genetik, Universität zu Köln, Köln 50674, Germany;
- 2 Human Genome Sequencing Centre, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77002, USA;
- 3 Department of Biology, University of Rochester, New York 14627, USA;
- 4 The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA;
- 5 Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom;
- 6 European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69012 Heidelberg, Germany
Abstract
Comparative studies require knowledge of the evolutionary relationships between taxa. However, neither morphological nor paleontological data have been able to unequivocally resolve the major groups of holometabolous insects so far. Here, we utilize emerging genome projects to assemble and analyze a data set of 185 nuclear genes, resulting in a fully resolved phylogeny of the major insect model species. Contrary to the most widely accepted phylogenetic hypothesis, bees and wasps (Hymenoptera) are basal to the other major holometabolous orders, beetles (Coleoptera), moths (Lepidoptera), and flies (Diptera). We validate our results by meticulous examination of potential confounding factors. Phylogenomic approaches are thus able to resolve long-standing questions about the phylogeny of insects.
Footnotes
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↵7 Corresponding author.
↵7 E-mail M.J.Lercher{at}bath.ac.uk; fax 44-1225-386779.
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Article is online at http://www.genome.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gr.5204306
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- Received November 3, 2005.
- Accepted April 3, 2006.
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Freely available online through the Genome Research Open Access option.
- Copyright © 2006, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
