The Evolutionary
Biology of Flies
D. K. Yeates and B. M. Wiegmann, eds.
Columbia University Press, New York, 2005
430 pp., hardcover, $89.50
ISBN 0-231-12700-6
I
often remark to students and colleagues that the Diptera are
structurally and ecologically the most diverse and interesting group
of insects. Although these proclamations sometimes lead to chuckling
among students, grumbling among colleagues (mostly coleopterists and
hymenopterists), and the occasional accusation of taxonomic bias, my
remarks have prompted few serious debates. Regrettably, that famous
British population geneticist, J.B.S. Haldane, when asked what one
could conclude about the Creator from a study of biology, did not
reply "an inordinate fondness for flies" [a clearly more
euphonious statement]. Alliterations aside, the Diptera are arguably
one of the most familiar, abundant, and important groups of insects.
This diverse taxon, containing approximately 150 families and
150,000 described species, includes mosquitoes, black flies, midges,
fruit flies, house flies, and many other well-known insects. These
insects are diverse in species richness, structural variety, feeding
habits, and economic importance. They have successfully colonized
all continents and nearly every habitat, including torrential
streams, thermal springs, soil, wood, fruit, decaying organic
material, the tissues of living organisms, and even pools of crude
petroleum. Furthermore, flies have been at the center of research in
genomics, developmental biology, phylogenetic systematics, and
biogeography.
The significance of Diptera in many fields was a major impetus
behind The Evolutionary Biology of Flies, edited by David
Yeates and Brian Wiegmann. Recent advances in molecular biology and
phylogenetic analyses, and the prominent role of Diptera in these
disciplines, have enhanced further the general interest in flies and
their role as model taxon. According to Yeates and Wiegmann, this
"renaissance [has been] fueled by two important scientific
innovations: the explosion of genetic information arising from
dipteran genomics and developmental biology, and improved phylogeny
estimation that relies on large amounts of new molecular data and
quantitative, statistical analytical methods." The editors, perhaps
best known for their work in Diptera phylogenetics, have assembled a
diverse group of evolutionary biologists, each a respected authority
in their subdiscipline, yet all known for their comparative and
evolutionary approach to fly biology. The Evolutionary Biology of
Flies is divided into three major sections: 1) Phylogeny; 2)
Genomics and Developmental Biology; and 3) Evolutionary Ecology and
Biogeography. Each chapter provides up-to-date reviews of various
subdisciplines and, in most cases, a prospectus of where these
fields will be in the years to come.
Phylogeny.
The shortest section (62 pages) begins with Whiting's overview of
the relationships of Diptera and potential outgroups, focusing on
the "fly-flea," "fly-scorpionfly," "fly-nannochoristid," and
"fly-strepsipteran" hypotheses. For many of the same reasons
discussed in previous work (e.g., Whiting
et al. 1997, Wheeler et al. 2001,
Whiting 2002), Whiting discounts the
first of these hypotheses, discusses problems with the second
hypothesis (i.e., probable paraphyly of Mecoptera and uncertain
position of the Nannochoristidae), and supports most strongly the
"fly-strepsipteran" alternative. Although the topic remains
contentious, the chapter gives a good overview of the primary issues
under debate. The next chapter, by Yeates and Wiegmann, provides a
nice update of their earlier review (Yeates
and Wiegmann 1999), with the significant addition of a
supertree analysis. The chapter also synthesizes considerable new
data pertaining especially to the relationships of the lower
Brachycera. Finally, the chapter by Meier gives an interesting
synopsis of Willi Hennig's life and impact on both dipterology and
phylogenetics. Considered by most to be the father of modern
phylogenetic systematics (i.e., cladistics), Hennig was primarily a
dipterist. I commend the editors for prominent inclusion of this
largely biographical chapter in a book otherwise focused on
dipterology.
Genomics and Developmental Biology.
Although not the longest section of the book (150 pages), the
included chapters summarize what may be the greatest amount of
literature. Dipterans are arguably the paradigm organisms in
genetics and developmental biology, so it is not surprising that
several chapters are devoted to these fields. Perhaps as expected,
the focal taxon for most chapters is Drosophila. Despite
being the longest chapter in the book (>60 pages), the contribution
by Ashburner provides a concise overview of the history of
genetic/genomics research on Drosophila and Anopheles
gambiae. For readers who have been unable to follow the
burgeoning literature on this field, the chapter includes a good
introduction to such topics as chromosome numbers, microstructure,
gene and genome organization, sex determination, mitochondrial
genomes, evolution of genes and genomes, and polytene chromosomes.
Subsequent chapters by DeSalle, Kidwell, Merritt, and Davies and
Roderick expand upon these and other aspects of the evolutionary
biology of flies. Although focused on Drosophila, authors
attempt to review and synthesize the current state of genomic and
developmental biology of all Diptera.
Evolutionary Ecology and Biogeography.
The longest part of the book (200 pages), this section suffers to
some extent from the breadth of topics, which ranges from
paleoecology to reproductive habits and ecological genetics. Despite
the somewhat disparate themes, the included chapters contain good
summaries and much useful information. Chapters by Labandeira and
Cranston delve into largely historical issues, focusing,
respectively, on feeding habits/plant associations and
biogeographical patterns of Diptera through time. Wilkinson and
Johns provide an excellent review of swarming, mating, and
copulation in Diptera. I especially appreciate their inclusion of
the range of unusual habits demonstrated by flies (even though they
failed to mention one of the most aberrant taxa with respect to
reproductive habits, the Nymphomyiidae). Filchak, Etges, Besansky,
and Feder provide a nice overview of the ecological genetics of host
use, again focusing on model systems (e.g., various species of
Drosophila and Anopheles, and Tephritidae). Scheffer's
chapter on invasive Diptera draws attention to the utility of
molecular markers for determining geographic origin and pathways of
spread, focusing on her own studies of agromyzids and various
studies of mosquitoes, drosophilids, and Mediterranean fruit flies.
The final chapter in this section, by Kitching, Bickel, and Boulter,
presents a wealth of original data on guilds of dipteran
assemblages. Although some data are presented and discussed
elsewhere (Kitching et al. 2004),
their chapter provides some novel interpretations on fly communities
in tropical and subtropical forests.
In
summary, The Evolutionary Biology of Flies is an excellent
review of both dipterology and the impact of the Diptera on
phylogenetics, genomics, evolutionary development, and other fields.
By synthesizing a diversity of topics, the editors provide a
mechanism through which scientists in disparate fields can gain an
appreciation of work being done across all of "fly science." As
such, The Evolutionary Biology of Flies should be required
reading for not only researchers who already call themselves "dipterists"
but also those who use flies as an experimental or model organism.
References
Kitching R. L, Bickel D, Creagh A. C, Hurley K, Symonds C. The
biodiversity of Diptera in Old World rain forest surveys: a
comparative faunistic analysis. J. Biogeogr. 2004, 31:1185-1200.
Wheeler W. C, Whiting M. F, Wheeler Q. D, Carpenter J. C. The
phylogeny of extant insect orders. Cladistics 2001, 17:113-169.
Whiting M. F, Carpenter J. C, Wheeler Q. D, Wheeler W. C. The
Strepsiptera problem: phylogeny of the holometabolous insect orders
inferred from 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA sequences and morphology.
Syst. Biol. 1997, 46:1-68.
Whiting M. F. Phylogeny of the holometabolous insect orders:
molecular evidence. Zool. Scr. 2002, 31:93-104.
Yeates D. K, Wiegmann B. M. Congruence and controversy: toward a
higher-level classification of Diptera. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 1999,
44:397-428.
Gregory W. Courtney
Department of Entomology
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
E-mail: gwcourt@iastate.edu
Annals of Entomological Society of America
Vol. 100, No. 1, January 2007, Page 91-92
