Insects are one of the dominant macroscopic branches of the Tree of Life, with over one million described species present in all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems worldwide. The first part of this workshop will offer an overview of recent advances and controversies in the systematics of insects and their close relatives, as well as an introduction to the major groups of insects. The second part of this workshop will address one important cause of the staggering diversity of insects and many other organisms, namely codiversification between insects and other branches of the Tree of Life. Phylogenetic perspectives are vital to understanding coevolution and codiversification, and in this workshop we will examine and discuss recent phylogenetic studies of codiversification and coevolution involving insects and other organisms, such as fig trees and their pollinating and non-pollinating fig wasps, seed plants and beetles, lycaenid butterfly caterpillars and their symbiotic ants, and birds and their parasitic lice. We will critically examine what phylogenetics can and cannot tell us about the processes of codiversification and coevolution which are responsible for much of the earth's biological diversity.

Middle and high school teachers are especially encouraged to attend.

Location:Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley