Fluctuation in the diversity of mayflies (Insecta, Ephemerida) as documented in the fossil record

0575863 - BC 2024 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Sroka, Pavel - Godunko, Roman J. - Prokop, J.
Fluctuation in the diversity of mayflies (Insecta, Ephemerida) as documented in the fossil record.
Scientific Reports. Roč. 13, č. 1 (2023), č. článku 16052. ISSN 2045-2322. E-ISSN 2045-2322
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA21-05216S
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : speciation * extinction * diversification
OECD category: Entomology
Impact factor: 4.6, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-42571-7.pdf

Due to their aquatic larvae, the evolution of mayflies is intricately tied to environmental changes affecting lakes and rivers. Despite a rich fossil record, little is known about the factors shaping the pattern of diversification of mayflies in deep time. We assemble an unprecedented dataset encompassing all fossil occurrences of mayflies and perform a Bayesian analysis to identify periods of increased origination or extinction. We provide strong evidence for a major extinction of mayflies in the mid-Cretaceous. This extinction and subsequent faunal turnover were probably connected with the rise of angiosperms. Their dominance caused increased nutrient input and changed the chemistry of the freshwater environments, a trend detrimental mainly to lacustrine insects. Mayflies underwent a habitat shift from hypotrophic lakes to running waters, where most of their diversity has been concentrated from the Late Cretaceous to the present.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0349943