Belgica antarctica, the Antarctic midge, is a species of flightless midge, endemic to the continent of Antarctica. At 2–6 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long, it is the largest purely terrestrial animal native to the continent. It also has the smallest known insect genome as of 2014, with only 99 million base pairs of nucleotides and about 13500 genes. It is the only insect that can survive year-round in Antarctica.
The first specimens of Belgica antarctica were collected on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897–1899).[2] During this expedition organized by the Belgian Government, Romanian biologist Emil Racoviță collected, among other specimens, a flightless midge and its larvae.[2] Based on these specimens, the Belgian doctor and entomologist, Jean-Charles Jacobs, described Belgica antarctica Jacobs, 1900.[3] Jacobs named the new genus and species of insect after the location where it was collected off the Antarctic Peninsula, "canal de la Belgica antarctica" (Belgian Strait)[3] (now called Gerlache Strait), which in turn was named after the expedition's stead-yacht, SY Belgica.[4]
The flightlessness of B. antarctica may be an adaptation to prevent wind from blowing it into inhospitable areas.[6] It can survive freezing, but though local air temperatures may reach as low as −40 °C, this insect cannot survive temperatures below −15 °C. This is comparatively milder than other cold-adapted insects. The reason for this relatively low freezing tolerance is due to thermal buffering: just burrowing at a depth of 1 cm, temperature is stable between 0 and −2 °C for 10 months out of 12, and it seldom goes lower than −7 °C all year round. Ice and snow cover also helps keep the temperature stable.[7] Freezing tolerance is enhanced by cold hardening.[7]
To adapt to the cold temperatures, B. antarctica accumulates trehalose, glucose, and erythritol. These compounds help the insect survive freezing by reducing the amount of ice that forms within the body. They also stabilize proteins and membranes, binding to them by means of hydrogen bonds. Heat shock proteins also help the tolerance to both high and low temperatures.[8]
Belgica antarctica not only tolerates, but also requires a freezing climate to survive: exposure of larvae to such mild temperatures as 10 °C is enough to kill them within a week.[7] Exposure to temperatures of 30 °C kills individuals in a few hours.[8] It can, however, resist partial desiccation, surviving the loss of up to 70% of body water.[8]
Lifecycleedit
Belgica antarctica on a moss in Antarctica.
B. antarctica spends most of its two-year lifecycle in four larval stages. Overwintering may occur in any instar. Terrestrial algae (particularly Prasiola crispa), moss, organic detritus, and microorganisms provide the food for the larval stage. The adults emerge in the spring and summer and live no more than 10 days; females mate in their first day of life and a few days later release eggs. The female secretes a jelly on the eggs that acts as a blanket of antifreeze, stops them from dehydrating, and acts as a food source once they hatch. Mating occurs in large groups of males, analogous to swarms of winged midges.[7]
Genomeedit
As of 2014, B. antarctica has the smallest insect genome known, at 99 Mbp and 13 500 genes.[9] Although the total amount of coding DNA is similar to that of other Diptera (19 Mbp), its fraction is much higher due to the extreme reduction in some types of non-coding DNA. Intron size has been reduced, while transposable elements are almost absent.[10]
^Jacobs, [J.-Ch.] (1900). "Diagnoses d'insectes recueillis par l'expédition antarctique Belge: Diptères". Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique. 44: 106–107.
^ abcIryna Kozeretska; Svitlana Serga; Pavlo Kovalenko; Volodymyr Gorobchyshyn; Peter Convey (28 April 2021). "Belgica antarctica (Diptera: Chironomidae): A natural model organism for extreme environments". Insect Science. 29 (1): 2–20. doi:10.1111/1744-7917.12925. ISSN 1672-9609. Wikidata Q119841816.
^ abJ.C. Jacobs (1900). "Diagnoses d'insectes recueillis par l'expedition antarctique Beige (parte Chironomidae)". Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique (in French). 44: 107– 108. ISSN 0774-5915. Wikidata Q119841481.
^Patrick De Deckker (January 2018). "On the long-ignored scientific achievements of the Belgica expedition 1897–1899". Polar Research. 37 (1): 1474695. doi:10.1080/17518369.2018.1474695. ISSN 0800-0395. Wikidata Q119842165.
^Usher, Michael B.; Edwards, Marion (1984). "A dipteran from south of the Antarctic Circle: Belgica antarctica (Chironomidae) with a description of its larva". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 23 (1): 19–31. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1984.tb00803.x.
^ abLuke Sandro & Juanita Constible. "Antarctic Bestiary — Terrestrial Animals". Laboratory for Ecophysiological Cryobiology, Miami University. from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
^ abcdLee, R. E.; Elnitsky, M. A.; Rinehart, J. P.; Hayward, S. A.; Sandro, L. H.; Denlinger, D. L. (2006). "Rapid cold-hardening increases the freezing tolerance of the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica". Journal of Experimental Biology. 209 (3): 399–406. doi:10.1242/jeb.02001. PMID 16424090.
^ abcRobert Michaud, M.; Benoit, J. B.; Lopez-Martinez, G.; Elnitsky, M. A.; Lee, R. E.; Denlinger, D. L. (2008). "Metabolomics reveals unique and shared metabolic changes in response to heat shock, freezing and desiccation in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica". Journal of Insect Physiology. 54 (4): 645–655. doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2008.01.003. PMID 18313070.
^. BBC. 2014-08-12. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
^Kelley, Joanna L.; Peyton, Justin T.; Fiston-Lavier, Anna-Sophie; Teets, Nicholas M.; Yee, Muh-Ching; Johnston, J. Spencer; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Lee, Richard E.; Denlinger, David L. (2014). "Compact genome of the Antarctic midge is likely an adaptation to an extreme environment". Nature Communications. 5: 4611. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.4611K. doi:10.1038/ncomms5611. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC4164542. PMID 25118180.
Further readingedit
Rübsaamen, Ew. H. (1906). "Chironomidæ". Zoologie: Insectes. Résultats du voyage du S.Y. Belgica en 1897-1898-1899. Anvers: J.-E. Buschmann. pp. 77–83; Pl. 4, Figs. 2, 4–7; Pl. V, Figs. 9–19.
Keilin, D. (1912). "Sur l'anatomie et le développement de Belgica antarctica Jacobs, Chironomide antarctique à ailes réduites". Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l'Académie des Sciences. 154. BHL page 7167537.
Convey, Peter; Block, William (1996). "Antarctic Diptera: Ecology, physiology and distribution". European Journal of Entomology. 93: 1–13.
Elnitsky, M. A.; Hayward, S. A. L.; Rinehart, J. P.; Denlinger, D. L.; Lee, R. E. (2008). "Cryoprotective dehydration and the resistance to inoculative freezing in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica". Journal of Experimental Biology. 211 (4): 524–530. doi:10.1242/jeb.011874. PMID 18245628.
Lopez-Martinez, Giancarlo; Benoit, Joshua B.; Rinehart, Joseph P.; Elnitsky, Michael A.; Lee, Richard E.; Denlinger, David L. (2009). "Dehydration, rehydration, and overhydration alter patterns of gene expression in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica". Journal of Comparative Physiology B. 179 (4): 481–491. doi:10.1007/s00360-008-0334-0. PMID 19125254. S2CID 1732347.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belgica antarctica.
Wikispecies has information related to Belgica antarctica.
. Miami University. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
April 12, 2024
belgica, antarctica, antarctic, midge, species, flightless, midge, endemic, continent, antarctica, long, largest, purely, terrestrial, animal, native, continent, also, smallest, known, insect, genome, 2014, with, only, million, base, pairs, nucleotides, about,. Belgica antarctica the Antarctic midge is a species of flightless midge endemic to the continent of Antarctica At 2 6 mm 0 08 0 2 in long it is the largest purely terrestrial animal native to the continent It also has the smallest known insect genome as of 2014 with only 99 million base pairs of nucleotides and about 13500 genes It is the only insect that can survive year round in Antarctica Belgica antarcticaTwo Belgica antarctica adultsScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ArthropodaClass InsectaOrder DipteraFamily ChironomidaeGenus BelgicaSpecies B antarcticaBinomial nameBelgica antarcticaJacobs 1900 1 Distribution in Antarctica red Contents 1 Taxonomy and etymology 2 Tolerance to extreme conditions 3 Lifecycle 4 Genome 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksTaxonomy and etymology editThe first specimens of Belgica antarctica were collected on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition 1897 1899 2 During this expedition organized by the Belgian Government Romanian biologist Emil Racoviță collected among other specimens a flightless midge and its larvae 2 Based on these specimens the Belgian doctor and entomologist Jean Charles Jacobs described Belgica antarctica Jacobs 1900 3 Jacobs named the new genus and species of insect after the location where it was collected off the Antarctic Peninsula canal de la Belgica antarctica Belgian Strait 3 now called Gerlache Strait which in turn was named after the expedition s stead yacht SY Belgica 4 Belgica antarctica is the largest purely terrestrial animal native to the continent 5 6 2 Tolerance to extreme conditions editThe flightlessness of B antarctica may be an adaptation to prevent wind from blowing it into inhospitable areas 6 It can survive freezing but though local air temperatures may reach as low as 40 C this insect cannot survive temperatures below 15 C This is comparatively milder than other cold adapted insects The reason for this relatively low freezing tolerance is due to thermal buffering just burrowing at a depth of 1 cm temperature is stable between 0 and 2 C for 10 months out of 12 and it seldom goes lower than 7 C all year round Ice and snow cover also helps keep the temperature stable 7 Freezing tolerance is enhanced by cold hardening 7 To adapt to the cold temperatures B antarctica accumulates trehalose glucose and erythritol These compounds help the insect survive freezing by reducing the amount of ice that forms within the body They also stabilize proteins and membranes binding to them by means of hydrogen bonds Heat shock proteins also help the tolerance to both high and low temperatures 8 Belgica antarctica not only tolerates but also requires a freezing climate to survive exposure of larvae to such mild temperatures as 10 C is enough to kill them within a week 7 Exposure to temperatures of 30 C kills individuals in a few hours 8 It can however resist partial desiccation surviving the loss of up to 70 of body water 8 Lifecycle edit nbsp Belgica antarctica on a moss in Antarctica B antarctica spends most of its two year lifecycle in four larval stages Overwintering may occur in any instar Terrestrial algae particularly Prasiola crispa moss organic detritus and microorganisms provide the food for the larval stage The adults emerge in the spring and summer and live no more than 10 days females mate in their first day of life and a few days later release eggs The female secretes a jelly on the eggs that acts as a blanket of antifreeze stops them from dehydrating and acts as a food source once they hatch Mating occurs in large groups of males analogous to swarms of winged midges 7 Genome editAs of 2014 B antarctica has the smallest insect genome known at 99 Mbp and 13 500 genes 9 Although the total amount of coding DNA is similar to that of other Diptera 19 Mbp its fraction is much higher due to the extreme reduction in some types of non coding DNA Intron size has been reduced while transposable elements are almost absent 10 Comparison of insect genomes Species Genome size Coding DNA genome percentage Transposable element percentageBelgica antarctica 99 Mbp 19 Mbp 19 4 0 12 Aedes aegypti 1380 Mbp 22 Mbp 1 6 47 Drosophila melanogaster 180 Mbp 22 8 Mbp 13 6 20 See also editGynaephora groenlandica a species of Arctic moth whose larvae can survive temperatures below 60 C Belgian Antarctic ExpeditionReferences edit Jacobs J Ch 1900 Diagnoses d insectes recueillis par l expedition antarctique Belge Dipteres Annales de la Societe entomologique de Belgique 44 106 107 a b c Iryna Kozeretska Svitlana Serga Pavlo Kovalenko Volodymyr Gorobchyshyn Peter Convey 28 April 2021 Belgica antarctica Diptera Chironomidae A natural model organism for extreme environments Insect Science 29 1 2 20 doi 10 1111 1744 7917 12925 ISSN 1672 9609 Wikidata Q119841816 a b J C Jacobs 1900 Diagnoses d insectes recueillis par l expedition antarctique Beige parte Chironomidae Annales de la Societe entomologique de Belgique in French 44 107 108 ISSN 0774 5915 Wikidata Q119841481 Patrick De Deckker January 2018 On the long ignored scientific achievements of the Belgica expedition 1897 1899 Polar Research 37 1 1474695 doi 10 1080 17518369 2018 1474695 ISSN 0800 0395 Wikidata Q119842165 Usher Michael B Edwards Marion 1984 A dipteran from south of the Antarctic Circle Belgica antarctica Chironomidae with a description of its larva Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 23 1 19 31 doi 10 1111 j 1095 8312 1984 tb00803 x a b Luke Sandro amp Juanita Constible Antarctic Bestiary Terrestrial Animals Laboratory for Ecophysiological Cryobiology Miami University Archived from the original on 23 December 2008 Retrieved December 9 2008 a b c d Lee R E Elnitsky M A Rinehart J P Hayward S A Sandro L H Denlinger D L 2006 Rapid cold hardening increases the freezing tolerance of the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica Journal of Experimental Biology 209 3 399 406 doi 10 1242 jeb 02001 PMID 16424090 a b c Robert Michaud M Benoit J B Lopez Martinez G Elnitsky M A Lee R E Denlinger D L 2008 Metabolomics reveals unique and shared metabolic changes in response to heat shock freezing and desiccation in the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica Journal of Insect Physiology 54 4 645 655 doi 10 1016 j jinsphys 2008 01 003 PMID 18313070 Antarctic midge has smallest insect genome BBC 2014 08 12 Archived from the original on 2014 08 12 Retrieved 2014 08 12 Kelley Joanna L Peyton Justin T Fiston Lavier Anna Sophie Teets Nicholas M Yee Muh Ching Johnston J Spencer Bustamante Carlos D Lee Richard E Denlinger David L 2014 Compact genome of the Antarctic midge is likely an adaptation to an extreme environment Nature Communications 5 4611 Bibcode 2014NatCo 5 4611K doi 10 1038 ncomms5611 ISSN 2041 1723 PMC 4164542 PMID 25118180 Further reading editRubsaamen Ew H 1906 Chironomidae Zoologie Insectes Resultats du voyage du S Y Belgica en 1897 1898 1899 Anvers J E Buschmann pp 77 83 Pl 4 Figs 2 4 7 Pl V Figs 9 19 Keilin D 1912 Sur l anatomie et le developpement de Belgica antarctica Jacobs Chironomide antarctique a ailes reduites Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des seances de l Academie des Sciences 154 BHL page 7167537 Convey Peter Block William 1996 Antarctic Diptera Ecology physiology and distribution European Journal of Entomology 93 1 13 Elnitsky M A Hayward S A L Rinehart J P Denlinger D L Lee R E 2008 Cryoprotective dehydration and the resistance to inoculative freezing in the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica Journal of Experimental Biology 211 4 524 530 doi 10 1242 jeb 011874 PMID 18245628 Lopez Martinez Giancarlo Benoit Joshua B Rinehart Joseph P Elnitsky Michael A Lee Richard E Denlinger David L 2009 Dehydration rehydration and overhydration alter patterns of gene expression in the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica Journal of Comparative Physiology B 179 4 481 491 doi 10 1007 s00360 008 0334 0 PMID 19125254 S2CID 1732347 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belgica antarctica nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Belgica antarctica Belgica antarctica discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week 23 June 2023 Antarctic Bestiary Miami University Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Belgica antarctica amp oldid 1183076519, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
