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Updated: May 7, 2026

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
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Phylogenomics resolves evolutionary relationships among ants, bees, and wasps.

Brian R Johnson1, Marek L Borowiec, Joanna C Chiu

  • 1Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

Current Biology : CB
|October 8, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A new study reveals that ants and bees (Apoidea) are closely related, challenging previous ideas about insect evolution. This finding helps explain the origins of social behavior in stinging wasps and ants.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Eusociality, a complex social structure, evolved independently in few animal groups, notably aculeate Hymenoptera (ants, bees, stinging wasps).
  • The precise phylogenetic relationships among major aculeate Hymenoptera lineages are debated, hindering understanding of their evolutionary traits, including eusociality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To resolve the contentious phylogenetic relationships within the aculeate Hymenoptera.
  • To provide a robust evolutionary framework for understanding the development of nesting, feeding, and social behaviors in stinging insects.

Main Methods:

  • Generation and analysis of genomic data from a diverse set of aculeate Hymenoptera taxa.
  • Application of multiple phylogenetic inference methods to ensure tree robustness and resolution.

Main Results:

  • A single, well-resolved phylogenetic tree was obtained, consistent across different analytical approaches.
  • Apoidea (spheciform wasps and bees) and ants are identified as sister groups, a significant departure from prior hypotheses.
  • Vespidae wasps are shown to be sister to most other aculeates (excluding chrysidoids).
  • All eusocial Hymenoptera species are situated within two major clades, linked by larval provision transport and nest construction.

Conclusions:

  • The new phylogeny places eusocial lineages within a broader context of wasp evolution, nested among ectoparasitoid clades.
  • Larval provision transport and nest construction are likely key evolutionary prerequisites for eusociality in Hymenoptera.
  • This revised phylogeny offers a new foundation for investigating the evolution of complex behaviors in stinging Hymenoptera.