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Diversity and potential correlations to the function of Collembola cuticle structures

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Abstract

Collembola (springtails) are soil arthropods, representing the most widespread hexapod group worldwide. Being skin-breathing animals, Collembola evolved special cuticular patterns, which are robust and antiadhesive allowing cuticular respiration under humid conditions in the soil environment. Details about function and formation of these unique cuticle characters are still unknown. Here we demonstrate that a high diversity of cuticular structures exists and that the different observed structural patterns of Collembola cuticles might go along with specific adaptations to life in soil. We examined the cuticle structures of 40 different species using scanning electron microscopy and compared the cuticle patterns of the different species with information about their preferred habitat. In addition, we compare the results with current systematic concepts, showing that certain cuticle structures are typical for different collembolan groups.

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Acknowledgments

Markus Günther of the Institute of Botany at the Technical University Dresden is kindly acknowledged for assistance with the scanning electron microscope.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, Hohe Straße 6, 01069, Dresden, Germany

    Julia Nickerl, Ralf Helbig & Carsten Werner

  2. Institute of Botany, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtzstraße 10, 01069, Dresden, Germany

    Julia Nickerl & Christoph Neinhuis

  3. Department of Soil Zoology, Section Apterygota, Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826, Görlitz, Germany

    Hans-Jürgen Schulz

  4. B CUBE Innovation Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Arnoldstraße 18, 01307, Dresden, Germany

    Carsten Werner & Christoph Neinhuis

Authors
  1. Julia Nickerl
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  2. Ralf Helbig
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  3. Hans-Jürgen Schulz
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  4. Carsten Werner
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  5. Christoph Neinhuis
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Correspondence to Julia Nickerl.

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Communicated by A. Schmidt-Rhaesa.

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Nickerl, J., Helbig, R., Schulz, HJ. et al. Diversity and potential correlations to the function of Collembola cuticle structures. Zoomorphology 132, 183–195 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-012-0181-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-012-0181-0

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