Diversity and distribution of tardigrades in soils of Edmonson Point (Northern Victoria Land, continental Antarctica)
Vol.2,No.2(2012)
This work contributes to the knowledge on distribution, diversity and ecology of the Antarctic soil biota. Different soil habitats from several ice-free coastal sites were sampled along the Victoria Land across 7° of latitude from 71° to 78°S during five austral summer seasons between 2003/04 and 2011/12. In this paper we report preliminary data on soil tardigrades (water bears) from Edmondson Point, Northern Victoria Land. Tardigrades were found to be present in 23 of the 41 examined soil samples (56%). Their presence was associated exclusively with soil samples collected from bryophytes communities and under cyanobacterial mats, whereas they were completely absent in fellfield and ornithogenic soils. Tardigrades were least numerous among all soil micrometazoans, their abundance in the positive samples was very variable and ranged from 3 to 1824 individuals per 100 g of soil DW. High water content seemed to be the major factor determining occurrence of tardigrades in the soils investigated. On the other hand low water content and toxic compounds from penguin guano seemed to act as a strong constraint on their existence in the Antarctic soils. Taxonomic evaluation of the extracted tardigrades revealed presence of only two species belonging to class Eutardigrada: Acutuncus antarcticus (Richters, 1904) and Milnesium antarcticum Tumanov, 2006. While A. antarcticus has already been reported previously as the most widespread and abundant tardigrade across the Victoria Land, the information on M. antarcticum is novel, both for Victoria Land and the continental Antarctica.
Tardigrada; Metazoa; biodiversity; soil biota; soil properties; Antarctic soils
Adams, B.J., Bardgett, R.D., Ayres, C., Wall, D.H., Aislabie, J., Bamforth, S., Bargagli, R., and Cary, C. (2006): Diversity and distribution of Victoria Land biota. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 38: 3003–3018.
Bertolani, R., Guidetti, R., Jönsson, K.I., Altiero, T., Boschini, D., and Rebecchi, L. (2004): Experiences on dormancy in tardigrades. Journal of Limnology, 63: 16–25.
Binda, M.G., Pilato, G. (1992): Minibiotus furcatus, nuova posizione sistematica per Macrobiotus furciger Ehrenberg, 1859, e descrizione di due nuove specie (Eutardigrada). Animalia,19: 111–120.
Binda, M.G., Pilato, G. (2000): Diphascon (Adropion) tricuspidatum, a new species of eutardigrade from Antarctica. Polar Biology, 23: 75–76.
Cathey, D.D., Parker, B.C., Simmons Jr., G.M., Yongue Jr., W.H., and Van Brunt, M.R. (1981): The microfauna of algal mats and artificial substrates in Southern Victoria Land Lakes of Antarctica. Hydrobiologia, 85: 3–15.
Convey, P., McInnes, S.J. (2005): Exceptional, tardigrade dominated ecosystems in Ellsworth Land, Antarctica. Ecology, 86: 519–527.
Courtright, E.M., Wall, D.H., and Virginia, R.A. (2001): Determining habitat suitability for soil invertebrates in an extreme environment: the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 13: 9–17.
Dastych, H. (1991): Redescription of Hypsibius antarcticus (Richters, 1904), with some notes on Hypsibius arcticus (Murray, 1907) (Tardigrada). Mitteilungen Hamburgisches Zoologisches Museum und Institut, 88: 141–159.
Dougherty, E.C., Harris, L.G. (1963): Antarctic micrometazoa: freshwater species in McMurdo Sound area. Science, 140: 497–498.
Freckman, D.W., Virginia, R.A. (1993): Extraction of nematodes from Dry Valley Antarctic soils. Polar Biology, 13: 483–487.
Gooseff, M.N., Barrett, J.E., Doran, P.T., Fountain, A.G., Lyons, W.B., Parsons, A.N., Porazinska, D.L., Virginia, R.A., and Wall D.H. (2003): Snow-patch influence on soil biogeochemical processes and invertebrate distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpinie Research, 35: 91–99.
Guidetti, R., Rizzo, A.M., Altiero, T., and Rebecchi, L. (in press): What can we learn from the toughest animals of the Earth? Water bears (tardigrades) as multicellular model organisms in order to perform scientific preparations for lunar exploration. Planetary and Space Science.
Guidetti, R., Altiero, T., Bertolani, R., Grazioso, P., and Rebecchi, L. (2011): Survival of freezing by hydrated tardigrades inhabiting terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Zoology, 114: 123–128.
Harris, C.M., Grant, S.M. (2003): Science and management at Edmonson Point, Wood Bay, Victoria Land, Ross Sea. Report on the Workshop Held in Siena, Italy, 15 April 2003. ERA, Grantchester, UK, 42 p.
Janetschek, H. (1967): Arthropod ecology of South Victoria Land. Antarctic Research Series, 10: 205–293.
Mataloni, G., Tell, G. (2002): Microalgal communities from ornithogenic soils at Cierva Point, Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biology, 25: 488–491.
Murray, J. (1910): Tardigrada, British Antarctic Expedition 1907–1909. In: Reports on the Scientific Investigations, vol. I, Biology (Part V), pp. 83–187.
Pilato, G., Binda, M.G. (1997): Acutuncus, a new genus of Hypsibiidae (Eutardigrada). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg, 12: 159–162.
Pilato, G., Binda, M.G. (1999): Three new species of Diphascon of the pingue group (Eutardigrada, Hypsibiidae) from Antarctica. Polar Biology, 21: 335–342.
Porazinska, D.L., Fountain, A.G., Nylen, T.H., Tranter, M., Virginia, R.A., and Wall, D.H. (2004): The Biodiversity and Biogeochemistry of Cryoconite Holes from McMurdo Dry Valley Glaciers, Antarctica. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 36: 84–91.
Porazinska, D.L., Wall, D.H., and Wirginia R.A. (2002): Invertebrates in ornithogenic soils on Ross Island, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 25: 569–574.
Ramazzotti, G., Maucci, W. (1983): II Philum Tardigrada (III. edizione riveduta e aggiornata). Memorie dell’Instituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, 41: 1–1016.
Richters, F. (1909): Tardigraden unter 771S. Br. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 34: 604–606.
Simmons B.L., Wall D.H., Adams B.J., Ayres, E., Barrett, J.E., and Virginia, R.A. (2009): Terrestrial mesofauna in above- and below-ground habitats: Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 32: 1549–1558.
Sinclair, B.J., Sjursen, H. (2001): Terrestrial invertebrate abundance across a habitat transect in Keble Valley, Ross Island, Antarctica. Pedobiology, 45: 134–145.
Smykla, J., Wołek, J., and Barcikowski, A. (2007): Zonation of vegetation related to penguin rookeries on King George Island, Maritime Antarctic. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 39: 143–151.
Smykla, J., Porazinska, D.L., Iakovenko, N., Janko, K., Weiner, W.M., Niedbała, W., and Drewnik M. (2010): Studies on the Antarctic soil invertebrates: Preliminary data on rotifers (Rotatoria) with notes on other taxa from Edmonson Point (Northern Victoria Land, Continental Antarctic). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae, 74: 135–140.
Smykla, J., Krzewicka, B., Wilk, K., Emslie, S.D., and Śliwa, L. (2011): Additions to the lichen flora of Victoria Land, Antarctica. Polish Polar Research, 32(2): 123–138.
Sohlenius, B., Boström, S. (2008): Species diversity and random distribution of microfauna in extremely isolated habitable patches on Antarctic nunataks. Polar Biology, 31: 817–825.
Tumanov, D.V. (2006): Five new species of the genus Milnesium (Tardigrada, Eutardigrada, Milnesiidae). Zootaxa, 1122: 1–23.
Wall, D.H. (2005): Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in terrestrial habitats of Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 17: 523–531.,
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright © 2020 Czech Polar Reports