Venom could have an origin that was responsible for the staggering biodiversity of insects and fish species, according to a new study. The investigation of the venom origin may prove why the two largest groups in the animal kingdom have the most number of vertebrate and invertebrate counts compared to others in the history of biology.
Why Are There Many Insect and Fish Species?
Insects and fishes with venomous features are abundant in the planet's biodiversity. In a recent study, the venomous insects and fishes are twice faster than their counterparts in populating Earth.
The venom found in the insect and fish species is an effective feature for their survival. Whether they are in the role of prey or predator, venoms are useful for repelling or catching other animals on sight. The ability of these animal groups to produce venom is essential for their adaptation to new environments, allowing them to breed and diversify to a larger population in the ecological system.
The insect animal group has more than 1 million species enlisted, and their population makes up a quarter of the overall invertebrate population on the planet. The fishes also dominate most of the vertebrate animals, with a whopping 31,000 and more species recorded.
In the collective population of insects and fishes, venomous species are known to build up 16 and 10 percent of the animal groups, respectively. Moreover, throughout evolutionary history, venom has succeeded at evolving in the insect group 28 times and in fishes, 20 times. The research was published in the journal BMC Ecology and Evolution, titled "Radiating Pain: Venom Has Contributed to the Diversification of the Largest Radiations of Vertebrate and Invertebrate Animals."
The study on the correlation of venom and the biodiversity of specific animal groups was led by Swansea University biosciences expert Kevin Arbuckle. The team had strong evidence to prove that biodiversification of these animal groups was in fact affected by the countless evolution of venom throughout history.
Venom and Progress of Biodiversification
Venom's impact on the insect and fish groups, based on the study, was associated with the quick progression of diversity. According to the report by PhysOrg, the most compelling evidence that venom was indeed part of the great population of the species is the super-radiation.
Arbuckle said that the findings from their study allowed venom to the limelight of biodiversification and actually recognized it as part of the largest vertebrates and invertebrates in the insect and fish generations. Arbuckle said that venom is not the only factor that drives the diversity of the specific animal groups. However, the study is equally important in recognizing the fatal chemical composition as a significant part of the insects and fishes that we see today.
Arbuckle mentioned that they also investigated the peak of mosasaurs' biodiversity in the Late Cretaceous period along with the decline of the marine predators' population. The data was compared with the Eocene epoch, or the end-Cretaceous period, where whales and other marine species diversified along with the extinction of larger marine predators and dinosaurs. Based on their examinations, the experts theorized that the origin of the fish venom originated from the predators found in the Late Cretaceous mosasaurs and Eocene early whales due to predation pressures.
RELATED ARTICLE : Genome Sequence of Lobster Hides Cancer-Free Secrets According to Marine Biologists
Check out more news and information on Biology in Science Times.
