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Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, analogous to the blood in vertebrates, that circulates in the interior of the arthropod (invertebrate) body, remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which hemolymph cells called hemocytes are suspended. In addition to hemocytes, the plasma also contains many chemicals. It is the major tissue type of the open circulatory system characteristic of arthropods. In addition, some non-arthropods such as molluscs possess a hemolymphatic circulatory system.
Bdelloidea is a class of rotifers found in freshwater habitats all over the world. There are over 450 described species of bdelloid rotifers, distinguished from each other mainly on the basis of morphology. The main characteristics that distinguish bdelloids from related groups of rotifers are exclusively parthenogenetic reproduction and the ability to survive in dry, harsh environments by entering a state of desiccation-induced dormancy (anhydrobiosis) at any life stage. They are often referred to as "ancient asexuals" due to their unique asexual history that spans back to over 25 million years ago through fossil evidence. Bdelloid rotifers are microscopic organisms, typically between 150 and 700 µm in length. Most are slightly too small to be seen with the naked eye, but appear as tiny white dots through even a weak hand lens, especially in bright light. In June 2021, biologists reported the restoration of bdelloid rotifers after being frozen for 24,000 years in the Siberian permafrost.
Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.
Psychrophiles or cryophiles are extremophilic organisms that are capable of growth and reproduction in low temperatures, ranging from −20 °C to +10 °C. They are found in places that are permanently cold, such as the polar regions and the deep sea. They can be contrasted with thermophiles, which are organisms that thrive at unusually high temperatures, and mesophiles at intermediate temperatures. Psychrophile is Greek for 'cold-loving', from ψυχρός.
The Cucujidae, "flat bark beetles," are a family of distinctively flat beetles found worldwide under the bark of dead trees. The family has received considerable taxonomic attention in recent years and now consists of 59 species distributed in four genera. It was indicated Cucujus species are scavengers, only feeding on pupae and larvae of other insects and on other subcortical beetles such as their own. Since the Cucujidae prey on larvae of potentially tree damaging beetles that spread fungal diseases, they are considered to be beneficial to the health of living trees.
Radioresistance is the level of ionizing radiation that organisms are able to withstand.
Cryptobiosis or anabiosis is a metabolic state of life entered by an organism in response to adverse environmental conditions such as desiccation, freezing, and oxygen deficiency. In the cryptobiotic state, all measurable metabolic processes stop, preventing reproduction, development, and repair. When environmental conditions return to being hospitable, the organism will return to its metabolic state of life as it was prior to the cryptobiosis.
A resurrection plant is any poikilohydric plant that can survive extreme dehydration, even over months or years.
The Chironomidae comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many species superficially resemble mosquitoes, but they lack the wing scales and elongated mouthparts of the Culicidae. An example of mosquito-resembling species is Tokunagayusurika akamusi.
The cat flea is an extremely common parasitic insect whose principal host is the domestic cat, although a high proportion of the fleas found on dogs also belong to this species. This is despite the widespread existence of a separate and well-established "dog" flea, Ctenocephalides canis. Cat fleas originated in Africa but can now be found globally. As humans began domesticating cats, the prevalence of the cat flea increased and spread throughout the world.
Selaginella lepidophylla is a species of desert plant in the spikemoss family (Selaginellaceae). Known as a "resurrection plant", S. lepidophylla is renowned for its ability to survive almost complete desiccation. During dry weather in its native habitat, its stems curl into a tight ball, uncurling only when exposed to moisture.
Belgica antarctica, the Antarctic midge, is a species of flightless midge, endemic to the continent of Antarctica. At 2–6 mm (0.079–0.24 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. It is the only insect that can survive year-round in Antarctica.
A-DNA is one of the possible double helical structures which DNA can adopt. A-DNA is thought to be one of three biologically active double helical structures along with B-DNA and Z-DNA. It is a right-handed double helix fairly similar to the more common B-DNA form, but with a shorter, more compact helical structure whose base pairs are not perpendicular to the helix-axis as in B-DNA. It was discovered by Rosalind Franklin, who also named the A and B forms. She showed that DNA is driven into the A form when under dehydrating conditions. Such conditions are commonly used to form crystals, and many DNA crystal structures are in the A form. The same helical conformation occurs in double-stranded RNAs, and in DNA-RNA hybrid double helices.
Osmoprotectants or compatible solutes are small organic molecules with neutral charge and low toxicity at high concentrations that act as osmolytes and help organisms survive extreme osmotic stress. Osmoprotectants can be placed in three chemical classes: betaines and associated molecules, sugars and polyols, and amino acids. These molecules accumulate in cells and balance the osmotic difference between the cell's surroundings and the cytosol. In plants, their accumulation can increase survival during stresses such as drought. In extreme cases, such as in bdelloid rotifers, tardigrades, brine shrimp, and nematodes, these molecules can allow cells to survive being completely dried out and let them enter a state of suspended animation called cryptobiosis.
Tardigrades, known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them kleiner Wasserbär. In 1777, the Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani named them Tardigrada, which means "slow steppers".
Desiccation tolerance refers to the ability of an organism to withstand or endure extreme dryness, or drought-like conditions. Plants and animals living in arid or periodically arid environments such as temporary streams or ponds may face the challenge of desiccation, therefore physiological or behavioral adaptations to withstand these periods are necessary to ensure survival. In particular, insects occupy a wide range of ecologically diverse niches and, so, exhibit a variety of strategies to avoid desiccation.
Polypedilum is a genus of non-biting midges in the subfamily Chironominae of the bloodworm family Chironomidae. This is probably the most species-rich of all chironomid genera. Larvae of Polypedilum may also be among the most abundant invertebrates in euthrophic ponds, reaching densities of up to 1200 larvae per square meter.
General transcription factor IIE subunit 1 (GTF2E1), also known as transcription initiation factor IIE subunit alpha (TFIIE-alpha), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GTF2E1 gene.
Upis ceramboides is a species of beetle, one of many wood-living insects that benefit from forest fires. It often occurs in quantities below the bark on the fire-damaged birches, but can sometimes be seen on other deciduous trees such as willow and aspen. The larvae thrive in the inner bark which is rich in mycelia, and in the sapwood. They develop into pupae during the summer months under the bark, and they develop over two or three years. The following spring they reproduce themselves.
Tardigrade specific proteins (TDPs) are specific types of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) that are seen in tardigrades. They are most notably used to help them survive desiccation which makes them very extremotolerant.
References
- ↑ Okuda, T.; Watanabe, M.; Sychev, V.; Novikova, N.; Gusev, O.; Saigusa, M. (Jul 2006). "Polypedilum vanderplanki: an anhydrobiotic insect as a potential tool for space biology". 36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Beijing. 36: 2237. Bibcode:2006cosp...36.2237O.
- ↑ Hinton HE (1960). "A fly larva that tolerates dehydration and temperatures of -270°C to +102°C". Nature . 188 (4747): 336–337. Bibcode:1960Natur.188..336H. doi:10.1038/188336a0. S2CID 4260914.
- ↑ Kikawada, Takahiro; et al. (2005). "Factors Inducing Successful Anhydrobiosis in the African Chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki: Significance of the Larval Tubular Nest". Integrative and Comparative Biology . 45 (5): 710–714. doi: 10.1093/icb/45.5.710 . PMID 21676821.
- ↑ Sakurai, M; Furuki, T; Akao, K; Tanaka, D; Nakahara, Y; Kikawada, T; Watanabe, M; Okuda, T (2008). "Vitrification is essential for anhydrobiosis in an African chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki". PNAS . 105 (13): 5093–5098. Bibcode:2008PNAS..105.5093S. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0706197105 . PMC 2278217 . PMID 18362351.
- ↑ "Sleeping Chironmid. Study of tolerance". Sleeping Chironomid Research Group, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan. 2011.
- ↑ Gusev, Oleg; et al. (2010). Zhou, Zhongjun (ed.). "Anhydrobiosis-Associated Nuclear DNA Damage and Repair in the Sleeping Chironomid: Linkage with Radioresistance". PLoS ONE . 5 (11): e14008. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...514008G. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014008 . PMC 2982815 . PMID 21103355.
- ↑ Gusev, O; Cornette, R; Kikawada, T; Okuda, T (2011). "Expression of heat shock protein-coding genes associated with anhydrobiosis in an African chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki". Cell Stress and Chaperones . 16 (1): 81–90. doi:10.1007/s12192-010-0223-9. PMC 3024092 . PMID 20809134.
- ↑ Hall, Jason P.W. (1994). "Chapter 4: Most Tolerant of Cold". In Walker, Thomas J. (ed.). Book of Insect Records. University of Florida. OCLC 439076927.
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