NGS applications to understand invertebrate biodiversity of Antarctica and mechanisms of gene expression involved in climatic changes ...

• Main Author: Cucini, Claudio
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Università di Siena 2022
• Subjects: BIO/05 ZOOLOGIA; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Springtail; Antarctica; Springtail
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25434/claudio-cucini_phd2022; https://usiena-air.unisi.it/handle/11365/1214717

Human activities, such as greenhouse emissions and pollution, are leading to global warming, environmental changes and biodiversity reduction. Pristine environments such as those of Antarctica are not immune to these phenomena, as is noticeable from the temperature shifts and ice-melting registered within the continent in recent decades. To date, many scientists focused on how marine species react to these changes but no molecular data are currently available for continental terrestrial invertebrates and in particular for Collembola (=springtails). Therefore, part of my PhD project was to study the transcriptomic response of the endemic Antarctic springtail Cryptopygus terranovus following a mid-term exposure of 20 days at 18°C. Expression data were compared with wild specimens sampled in native environment. Although individual plasticity in transcript modulation was recorded, several pathways appear to be differentially modulated: protein catabolism, fatty acid metabolism and a sexual response characterized ...