Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change?
Because conditions in continental Antarctica are highly selective and extremely hostile to life, its biota is depauperate, but well adapted to live in this region. Global climate change has the potential to impact continental Antarctic organisms because of increasing temperatures and ultraviolet rad...
Published in: | Journal of Experimental Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Other Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
country:GBR
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1154507 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.160622 |
id |
ftunivmodena:oai:iris.unimore.it:11380/1154507 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivmodena:oai:iris.unimore.it:11380/1154507 2024-04-14T08:00:12+00:00 Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? Ilaria Giovannini Tiziana Altiero Roberto Guidetti Lorena Rebecchi Giovannini, Ilaria Altiero, Tiziana Guidetti, Roberto Rebecchi, Lorena 2018 http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1154507 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.160622 eng eng country:GBR info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/29242185 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000426356800026 volume:221 firstpage:1 lastpage:11 journal:JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1154507 doi:10.1242/jeb.160622 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85042442542 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Meiofauna Life history traits Desiccation Thermo-tolerance Ultraviolet radiation Antarctica info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2018 ftunivmodena https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.160622 2024-03-21T17:43:06Z Because conditions in continental Antarctica are highly selective and extremely hostile to life, its biota is depauperate, but well adapted to live in this region. Global climate change has the potential to impact continental Antarctic organisms because of increasing temperatures and ultraviolet radiation. This research evaluates how ongoing climate changes will affect Antarctic species, and whether Antarctic organisms will be able to adapt to the new environmental conditions. Tardigrades represent one of the main terrestrial components of Antarctic meiofauna; therefore, the pan-Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus was used as model to predict the fate of Antarctic meiofauna threatened by climate change. Acutuncus antarcticus individuals tolerate events of desiccation, increased emperature and UV radiation. Both hydrated and desiccated animals tolerate increases in UV radiation, even though the desiccated animals are more resistant. Nevertheless, the survivorship of hydrated and desiccated animals is negatively affected by the combination of temperature and UV radiation, with the hydrated animals being more tolerant than desiccated animals. Finally, UV radiation has a negative impact on the life history traits of successive generations of A. antarcticus, causing an increase in egg reabsorption and teratological events. In the long run, A. antarcticus could be at risk of population reductions or even extinction. Nevertheless, because the changes in global climate will proceed gradually and an overlapping of temperature and UV increase could be limited in time, A. antarcticus, as well as many other Antarctic organisms, could have the potential to overcome global warming stresses, and/or the time and capability to adapt to the new environmental conditions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Acutuncus antarcticus Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antarcticus Tardigrade Archivio della ricerca dell'Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Unimore: IRIS) Antarctic The Antarctic Journal of Experimental Biology |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Archivio della ricerca dell'Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Unimore: IRIS) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivmodena |
language |
English |
topic |
Meiofauna Life history traits Desiccation Thermo-tolerance Ultraviolet radiation Antarctica |
spellingShingle |
Meiofauna Life history traits Desiccation Thermo-tolerance Ultraviolet radiation Antarctica Ilaria Giovannini Tiziana Altiero Roberto Guidetti Lorena Rebecchi Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? |
topic_facet |
Meiofauna Life history traits Desiccation Thermo-tolerance Ultraviolet radiation Antarctica |
description |
Because conditions in continental Antarctica are highly selective and extremely hostile to life, its biota is depauperate, but well adapted to live in this region. Global climate change has the potential to impact continental Antarctic organisms because of increasing temperatures and ultraviolet radiation. This research evaluates how ongoing climate changes will affect Antarctic species, and whether Antarctic organisms will be able to adapt to the new environmental conditions. Tardigrades represent one of the main terrestrial components of Antarctic meiofauna; therefore, the pan-Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus was used as model to predict the fate of Antarctic meiofauna threatened by climate change. Acutuncus antarcticus individuals tolerate events of desiccation, increased emperature and UV radiation. Both hydrated and desiccated animals tolerate increases in UV radiation, even though the desiccated animals are more resistant. Nevertheless, the survivorship of hydrated and desiccated animals is negatively affected by the combination of temperature and UV radiation, with the hydrated animals being more tolerant than desiccated animals. Finally, UV radiation has a negative impact on the life history traits of successive generations of A. antarcticus, causing an increase in egg reabsorption and teratological events. In the long run, A. antarcticus could be at risk of population reductions or even extinction. Nevertheless, because the changes in global climate will proceed gradually and an overlapping of temperature and UV increase could be limited in time, A. antarcticus, as well as many other Antarctic organisms, could have the potential to overcome global warming stresses, and/or the time and capability to adapt to the new environmental conditions. |
author2 |
Giovannini, Ilaria Altiero, Tiziana Guidetti, Roberto Rebecchi, Lorena |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ilaria Giovannini Tiziana Altiero Roberto Guidetti Lorena Rebecchi |
author_facet |
Ilaria Giovannini Tiziana Altiero Roberto Guidetti Lorena Rebecchi |
author_sort |
Ilaria Giovannini |
title |
Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? |
title_short |
Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? |
title_full |
Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? |
title_fullStr |
Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Will the Antarctic tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? |
title_sort |
will the antarctic tardigrade acutuncus antarcticus be able to withstand environmental stresses related to global climate change? |
publisher |
country:GBR |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1154507 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.160622 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
genre |
Acutuncus antarcticus Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antarcticus Tardigrade |
genre_facet |
Acutuncus antarcticus Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antarcticus Tardigrade |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/29242185 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000426356800026 volume:221 firstpage:1 lastpage:11 journal:JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1154507 doi:10.1242/jeb.160622 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85042442542 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.160622 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
_version_ |
1796316997033656320 |