Antarctic Tardigrada: a first step in understanding molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) and biogeography of cryptic meiofauna

Recent studies have suggested that some resident Antarctic biota are of ancient origin andmay have been isolatedfor millions of years. The phylum Tardigrada, which is part of the Antarctic terrestrial meiofauna, is of particular interest dueto an impressive array of biochemical abilities to withstan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Invertebrate Systematics
Main Authors: Czechowski, P, Sands, CJ, Adams, BJ, D'Haese, CA, Gibson, JAE, McInnes, SJ, Stevens, MI
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: CSIRO Publishing 2012
Subjects:
Biological Sciences
Ecology
Terrestrial Ecology
Antarctic
Dronning Maud Land
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Antarctica
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1071/IS12034
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/83439
Description
Summary:Recent studies have suggested that some resident Antarctic biota are of ancient origin andmay have been isolatedfor millions of years. The phylum Tardigrada, which is part of the Antarctic terrestrial meiofauna, is of particular interest dueto an impressive array of biochemical abilities to withstand harsh environmental conditions. Tardigrades are one of the fewwidespread Antarctic terrestrial animals that have the potential to be used as a model for evolution and biogeography on theAntarctic continent. We isolated 126 individual tardigrades from four geographically isolated soil samples from two remotenunataks in the Sr Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. We examined genetic variation amongindividuals utilising three gene regions: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI), 18S rDNA (18S), and the wingless(Wg) gene. Comparison of sequences from worldwide and Antarctic tardigrades indicated long-term survival and isolationover glacially dominated periods in ice-free habitats in the Sr Rondane Mountains.

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