AZC 46 Supplement (2003)

Issue:

VOL NA

Keywords:

Insects, fossils, palaeodiversity, biodiversity, evolutionary patterns

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Palaeoentomology: towards the big picture

• Edmund A. JARZEMBOWSKI

Abstract:

Insects (Superclass Hexapoda) are the most palaeodiverse as well as the most biodiverse organisms of all time but probably total under 20 million species. Familial/generic data agree with an exponential growth model of the evolution of terrestrial life. Ordinal data is consistent with a logistic model but with a major perturbation superimposed (the Triassic extinction). The global taxonomic carrying capacity is about 31 for orders whereas familial and species data suggest power functions. Key events in the Phanerozoic insect record are briefly discussed.