More about the Network
The large number of fossil insects collected in Europe during recent years led to the establishment of this Network, which aimed to unite Europe’s palaeoentomological community within a common research framework. The many fossil insects that have been found in different European locations, and the mostly unpublished information derived from them, urgently require in-depth study so that they can become more readily available for research. The Network intended to establish a database providing access via the Internet to information about collections, insect bearing localities and publications.
Insects are perhaps the most successful group of all organisms, with possibly more than two billion species having existed since Devonian times (400 million years ago). Today, over 80% of all animal species are insects, which are present in all environments including terrestrial and fresh water, excluding only the deep oceans. As well as being most numerous, insects are also the most diverse animal group. Therefore an understanding of insect evolution gained from studying fossils will contribute greatly to our overall knowledge of evolutionary history and processes. Indeed, insect evolution has influenced the development of many other organisms, particularly flowering plants with which many insects have a close symbiotic relationship.
Furthermore, insect phylogeny (concerned with evolution of insects as a whole rather than individual species) has always been heavily dependent on various environmental factors, notably geography and climate. Insect fossils can provide excellent evidence of past climate change. For example, fossils of termites closely related to present day termites that live only in tropical climates have been found in some European locations. Clearly close cooperation between palaeoecologists and palaeoclimatologists is desirable in the Network, because each can gain from and contribute towards the study of fossil insects.
Four main research priorities were identified for this Network:
- Establishment of a palaeoentomological data bank
- Phylogenetic and systematic studies
- Taphonomy (preservational processes affecting fossil insects)
- Dynamics of ancient ecosystems and rates of climatic change
