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Winter adaptations of the leaf litter and soil arthropod Collembola

Winter adaptations of the leaf litter and soil arthropod Collembola. OR: Are these guys living amongst us? Jeff McClenahan March, 2006. Winter Ecology – Spring 2006 Mountain Research Station – University of Colorado, Boulder. What are Collembola, and why the heck do we care?.

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Winter adaptations of the leaf litter and soil arthropod Collembola

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  1. Winter adaptations of the leaf litter and soil arthropod Collembola OR: Are these guys living amongst us? Jeff McClenahan March, 2006 Winter Ecology – Spring 2006 Mountain Research Station – University of Colorado, Boulder

  2. What are Collembola, and why the heck do we care? • Primitive, wingless, non-insect Hexapods • Leaf litter decomposers • Diets composed of fungi and algae* *Verhoef et al., 1988

  3. Components of winter ecology we have seen • Adaptations to cold • Evidence of biotic soil activity • Below-snow temperatures that support life • The Antarctic is cold

  4. Winter active species Ceratophsella sigillata* • Temperature dependent dormancy during summer • Main growing season is winter • Uses antifreeze molecules in algae: polyols *Zettel, 2000

  5. Glycerol production in Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni* • Produced via hydrolysis of triaclglycerols • Able to enter the glycolytic pathway with help of ATP • High concentration in October and lower in January (Antarctic) • Measured super cooling point (SCP) as low as -38 degrees C *Sinclair and Sjursen, 2001

  6. Partial desiccation in Onychiurus articus* • Long periods of -2.5 degrees C, resulting in reduced water content • Lowered SCP from -6.1 to -15.5 degrees C • Gained normal body weight within 24 hours when water was available *Worland, 1996

  7. Brief look at the process of ecdysis

  8. Unexpected role of ecdysis in Tullbergia antarctica* • Ametabolous ecdysis: sheds cuticle throughout life, even after adulthood • Sheds cuticle as a means to rid themselves of ice *Worland, 2005

  9. What does this all mean? • Arthropods where we don’t expect them? • 9000 named species • Inhabit high elevations and high latitudes • Evidence suggests that these winter systems are dynamic Alpine tundra? Sub-alpine forests?

  10. Cited references • Sinclair BJ and Sjursen H. 2001. Cold tolerance of the Antarctic springtail Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni. Antarctic Science 13:271-279 • Worland MR. 1996. The relationship between water content and cold tolerance in the arctic collembolan Onychiurus arcticus. European Journal of Entomology 93:341-348 • Worland MR. 2004. Factors that influence freezing in the sub-Antarctic springtail Tullbergia antarctica. Journal of Insect Physiology 51:881-894 • Verhoef HA, Prast JE, Verweij RA. 1988. Relative importance of Fungi and Algae in the diet and nitrogen nutrition of Orchesella cincta and Tomocerus minor. Functional Ecology 2:195-201 • Zettel J. 2000. Alpine Collembola-adaptations and strategies for survival in harsh conditions. Zoology-Analysis of Complex Systems 102:73-89

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