Current understanding of the ecology and evolution of Grylloblattidae and future research directions

Grylloblattids (Insecta: Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) are a family of extremophile wingless insects distributed across North America and East Asia. The family was first described in 1913 by E.M. Walker, and since then, 33 species in 5 genera have been described. Grylloblattids, also called ice crawlers, specialize to climate-dependent microhabitats, like the icy areas of mountaintops and glaciers. These habitats are at risk in the early stages of climate change, representing a significant threat to grylloblattid populations. In this presentation, I will discuss the current scientific understanding of grylloblattid ecology and evolution. Then, I will explain my planned research on the topic, including two primary aims. First, I plan to use molecular data, including whole genome sequencing, to resolve uncertain phylogenies within Grylloblattidae, allowing insight into the evolutionary history of the family. Second, I plan to use occurrence and climatic data to create species distribution models of past and projected future occurrences, which will allow for an assessment of the ecological factors that determine grylloblattid population distribution.