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Characterization of drought-induced rapid cold-hardening in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica

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Abstract

Survival of the terrestrial midge, Belgica antarctica, on the Antarctic Peninsula is promoted, not only by their adaptations to prolonged exposures to seasonal stresses, but also by their ability to respond to unpredictable changes in their environments. Rapid cold-hardening (RCH) is an extremely swift acclimatory response of insects that occurs within minutes to hours. While the RCH response is most commonly induced by a brief exposure to mildly low temperatures, a similar rapid acclimatory response can also be elicited by exposure to drought. In this study, we characterized this drought-induced RCH in larvae of B. antarctica. Compared to fully hydrated larvae, those desiccated at various relative humidity (R.H.) conditions between 0 and 99% R.H. for 2 h had a significantly greater survival ( ~ 50%) to freezing at − 14 °C. The amount of water loss varied between 4 and 16% depending on R.H. conditions; however, all treatments were equally effective in eliciting the protective response against freezing stress, and its induction was evident within 30 min of desiccation. Lack of substantial changes in body-fluid osmolality or levels of major cryoprotectants suggest that accumulation of these protective solutes is not a primary mechanism of this response. Interestingly, the RCH protection induced by desiccation persisted after larvae were allowed to recover a significant portion of the lost water. Our results indicate that larval midges are highly sensitive to desiccation, capable of swiftly initiating physiological changes in response to a small reduction in their body water content.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the hard work and assistance of the support staff at Palmer Station. We also thank Peter Convey and two anonymous reviewers who provided comments and suggestions on this manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation Grants (PLP-1341385 and PLP-1341393). This work was also supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Hatch Project 1010996 awarded to NMT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Ave, Saint Peter, MN, 56082, USA

    Yuta Kawarasaki

  2. Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA

    Nicholas M. Teets & Leslie J. Potts

  3. Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Benjamin N. Philip, J. D. Gantz & Richard E. Lee Jr.

  4. Department of Biology, Hendrix College, Conway, AK, 73032, USA

    J. D. Gantz

  5. Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    David L. Denlinger

  6. Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    David L. Denlinger

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  1. Yuta Kawarasaki
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Correspondence to Yuta Kawarasaki.

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Kawarasaki, Y., Teets, N.M., Philip, B.N. et al. Characterization of drought-induced rapid cold-hardening in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica. Polar Biol 42, 1147–1156 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02503-6

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