Phylogenetic Analysis of Selected Insects at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Mabini Campus), Sta. Mesa, Manila

Insects are believed to have descended from a class of extinct crustaceans known as hexapods. The earliest emergence of insects can be traced back to 411 million years ago during the Devonian period; eventually, they underwent significant evolutionary progress, which started during the Carboniferous period. In this laboratory report, the students were tasked with constructing a cladogram based on their previous laboratory activities, which compromised insects, plants, and fungi. This study utilized five insect taxa belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Orthoptera. A character matrix was created to organize the selected taxa and their five corresponding characters as required for the activity. The binary coding was employed in order to compare the characters states of the different taxa, allowing the students to distinguish both ancestral and derived characters. A phylogenetic analysis was also performed through the use of taxonomic and systematic literature to help identify the taxa that share common ancestry based on their character traits. The coding generated data that was used in the creation of a cladogram, which revealed the evolutionary links between these insects. This research was conducted at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila. The findings of this study could serve as a guide to expand our knowledge regarding the evolutionary relationship that exists between the chosen taxa, enhanced by the utilization of a phylogenetic tree.