Final answer:
After the first insects evolved, amphibians appeared around 300 million years ago, followed by the evolution of mammals and then birds. The ability of insects to fly gave them a significant evolutionary advantage. During the Jurassic Period, flowering plants and new pollinating insects evolved, leading to further diversification.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evolution After The First Insects
The geological time scale reveals that after the first insects evolved, several significant events in the evolution of life occurred. Initially, arthropods, which include insects and spiders, appeared on the Earth's terrestrial environments. The first land arthropods, like millipedes, developed approximately 430 million years ago and featured critical adaptations such as book lungs or tracheae for breathing air, and an exoskeleton to prevent drying out.
After the emergence of the first insects, which had the revolutionary ability of flight, the amphibians started to appear around 300 million years ago. This crucial step in evolution was followed by the diversification of mammals around 200 million years ago, and subsequently, the birds evolved about 150 million years ago. Interestingly, the evolution of wings in insects, a de novo development, gave them a significant evolutionary advantage and led to their domination over terrestrial environments.
Further along the geological timeline, during the Jurassic Period (200-145 million years ago), the first flowering plants appeared, along with new insects adapted for pollination. Mammals and birds continued to diversify, and dinosaurs reached their apex during this time. Thus, following the first insects, a tremendous diversification of life forms, especially those capable of flight, took place, profoundly changing the dynamics of Earth's ecosystems.