Collaborative Research: Genealogy of Odonata (GEODE): Dispersal and color as drivers of 300 million years of global dragonfly evolution

University Of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

Dragonflies and damselflies, also called the Odonata, are colorful, fast-flying insects that are easy to find and recognize. Their evolution stretches 300 Mya and there are ~6200 known species found in nearly all parts of the world. They are central to understanding the evolution of flight, as their ancestors were among the first animals to fly. While flight evolved early, they are remarkable aerial ambush predators serving a key ecological role in communities as predators on other insects such as biting flies (e.g., mosquitoes). Odonates are also one of a few animal groups that spend part of their life in freshwater and another part on land, and so they are key indicators of healthy freshwater systems. They have received much scientific interest, but information about their genealogy, ecology, and distribution is not centralized in any one source. This research is important because it will gather this information for nearly all species and put it in an online database that is available to both the public and researchers. This will be the first such database for an entire order of insect. It will allow dragonflies and damselflies to be used more in environmental, ecological, and evolutionary studies. The research will also help educate the public in dragonfly, and more broadly insect, evolution, ecology and conservation. The aims of this research are two-fold. It will amass phylogenetic, ecological and geospatial data, making this available for the wider scientific community via the OdonataCentral website. Secondly, this data will be used to study the historical impact of mobility, habitat, niche, color, and distribution on odonate diversification and diversity patterns at the global level. The project will bring together leaders in Odonata phylogenetics, ecology, biogeography as well as informatics and citizen science, and will: (1) develop a robust, species-level molecular and morphological phylogeny of extant and fossil Odonata; (2) amass ecological traits, especially rich information about dragon- and damselfly color, and develop full global distribution and environmental niche information; (3) test evolutionary hypotheses regarding diversification of Odonata, especially the role of color evolution; (4) develop visualizations, knowledge products and analyses that dynamically integrate these three data layers while engaging the general public through museum, web- and mobile-app based tools and outreach. Odonates are dependent on freshwater, a habitat type that is broadly underserved by currently funded research but that is crucial for human well-being. Our efforts will provide tools for Odonata to become the standard as global bioindicators of endangered freshwater habitats in the midst of global change and habitat loss. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.