Substitution rates across Anisoptera along latitudinal gradients

The tropics are well established as the dominant biodiversity region on Earth and within them, organisms with rich evolutionary history can be found. Substitution rates reflect evolutionary history and are influenced by many biotic factors. The rate of substitution among lineages is heterogeneous, but the drivers of this diversity are not well studied. Little is known about whether substitution rates vary across the latitudinal gradient for vagile invertebrate groups such as dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera) and whether this phenomenon influences variation within this group across biogeographical space. Members of Anisoptera make for an ideal study system not only for their dispersal ability, but also for their life history involving aquatic and terrestrial habitats in addition to being charismatic flagship insects. Here, we estimate substitution rates in the mitochondrial gene COI for dragonfly representatives for the ten families within the suborder Anisoptera. We then set out to answer whether correlation exists between substitution rates and latitude, which we use here as a proxy for temperature. We use generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) to compare variation in these rates, along the gradient of latitude. Investigating whether variation occurs in substitution rates across latitudes in dragonflies could help inform how we understand the rise of new phenotypes, inform conservation efforts across taxa, and us ultimately engage with the biodiversity on Earth.