Expanding Acutuncus: Phylogenetics and morphological analyses reveal a considerably wider distribution for this tardigrade genus

Vecchi, Matteo; Tsvetkova, A.Yu.; Stec, Daniel; Ferrari, Claudio; Calhim, Sara; Tumanov, DV.

doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107707

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A higher concentration of CH 3 COOH is instead due to the breakdown of the penguin guano during the Antarctic summer that persist on the semipermanent pond (Legrand et al, 2012). Moreover, Acutuncus species are adapted to ephemeral habitats, as temporary ponds (Cesari et al, 2016;Vecchi et al, 2023), that can be subject major fluctuation in pH values (Brendonck et al, 2000). In all experiments, the tested tardigrades maintaining an unaltered morphology of the CaCO 3 stylets, shown high tolerance of animals to moderate/high acidity, and their capabilities in buffering the proton charge penetrated from the environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO₃ piercing stylets in tardigrades

2023

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Long-term environment acidifications due to decrease pH of the rainwaters affect both soils and water bodies. The organisms most likely to be affected by acid rain are the ones that possess vital organs made of calcium carbonate; among them are tardigrades, presenting aragonite piercing stylets in feeding apparatuses. A positive relationship between acidic rainfall and loss of tardigrades diversity has been already shown, but there is lack of knowledge of its lethal and sublethal effects. This study quantifies the effects of the acute exposure of three eutardigrade, Acutuncus antarcticus, Hypsibius exemplaris, and Macrobiotus cf. hufelandi, to synthetic acid rains and to organic and inorganic acids (hydrochloric, acetic, sulfuric, and nitric acids) naturally occurring in the environment. The cumulative proportion of dead animals in respect of exposition time was fitted to cumulative Weibull Distribution using a Bayesian framework. At the end of the experiments, animals were observed to investigate damages to their piercing stylets.Besides, stylets were finely morphologically described with Scanning Electron Microscopy. This study shows that acid rains and the other tested acids negatively affect tardigrades accordingly with pH, time of exposure, and tardigrade species.Freshwater species show a better resistance to acidity than the moss dwelling species, which can better acclimate over the time to low pH. The stylets resulted unaltered in almost all of the alive specimens. The results suggest that the tested tardigrades taxa have the ability to buffer the environmental proton change and the negative effect on their populations could be counteracted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO₃ piercing stylets in tardigrades

2023

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“…However, in the recent study proposed by (Tumanov, 2022), through the molecular phylogenetic analysis and morphological description of the Antarctic Tardigrade of genus Ramajendas, evoked the formation of a new family named Ramajendidae to place these Ramajendas species. The second monospecific genera are Acutuncus, which previously belonged to family Hypsibiidae but currently the study conducted by Vecchi et al in 2023 revealed the extension of Acutunus species into a new family named Acutuncidae based on the phylogenetic analyses and morphological studies (Vecchi et al, 2023).…”

Section: Global Distribution Of Tardigradesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is known to have a coastline of about 8000 km. It is also the only country amongst the Asian countries, which has a long record and complete list of coastal and marine biodiversity dating back at least two centuries old (Venkataraman and Wafar, 2005) In India, Tardigrades happen to be found as meiofauna on the sandy beaches up to 2-3 meters from the sea's edge. Out of the three classes of the phylum Tardigrada, the Heterotardigrada is known to prevail in the marine, freshwater and high-altitude mountain regions of the country.…”

Section: Indian Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Bears in the Land of Diversity: A Comprehensive Review of Tardigrades in India

Perez,

Daryani

2023

LFWB

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Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are a group of microscopic invertebrates with four pairs of stout legs. They are known to be found in freshwater, terrestrial and marine environments. An exceptional feature of the tardigrades is their ability to withstand extreme low temperatures, desiccation and other such severe environmental conditions. Globally, 70.8% of the earth is covered with the oceans and seas, while the Indian Ocean accounts for 29% of the global ocean area and is known to be a region of high biodiversity, where India is one of the countries. Tardigrades are known to form a habitat with mosses, lichens, freshwater ecosystems, oceans, and Himalayas in India. One of the main areas of research on tardigrades in India is the diversity and distribution of tardigrade species in different regions of the country, however, very few studies have been conducted on this phylum. Tardigrades have become the subject of increasing interest due to their potential economic importance like their significance in environmental monitoring and space research. Lastly, this phylum needs to be explored in terms of the species distribution and their economic importance, making them a valuable resource for India.

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“…Concerning tardigrades, the main protocol used to dry specimens for SEM observation is the fixative substitution with liquid CO 2 and its evaporation with CPD (e.g., Dastych, 2019; Gross et al, 2017; Guidetti et al, 2000; Stec et al, 2015; Vecchi et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new, simplified, drying protocol to prepare tardigrades for scanning electron microscopy

Camarda,

Massa,

Guidetti

et al. 2023

Microscopy Res & Technique

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A new protocol for preparation of tardigrades for scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis is proposed. The more conventional protocols require various steps and a long time to obtain good drying of water bears, together with specific and uncommon instruments (i.e., critical point dryer) or highly volatile toxic compounds (i.e., hexametildisilazane). The new protocol can be performed using few and simple instruments and materials, all easily accessible, and produces a high yield in terms of dried animals in excellent condition for the observation of external morphological structures with SEM. The acquired data exhibit considerable promise, and the proposed methodology shows potential for application to other meiofaunal groups, including small arthropods, nematodes, and rotifers.Research Highlights Cheap, safe, and fast new method for Tardigrada preparation for SEM. With the new protocol, the number of animals required for SEM studies is minimized. New protocol is potentially applicable to the study of other meiofaunal soft‐bodied taxa.

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Expanding Acutuncus: Phylogenetics and morphological analyses reveal a considerably wider distribution for this tardigrade genus

Cited by 14 publications

References 53 publications

Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO₃ piercing stylets in tardigrades

Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO₃ piercing stylets in tardigrades

Water Bears in the Land of Diversity: A Comprehensive Review of Tardigrades in India

A new, simplified, drying protocol to prepare tardigrades for scanning electron microscopy

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Expanding Acutuncus: Phylogenetics and morphological analyses reveal a considerably wider distribution for this tardigrade genus

Cited by 14 publications

References 53 publications

Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO3 piercing stylets in tardigrades

Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO3 piercing stylets in tardigrades

Water Bears in the Land of Diversity: A Comprehensive Review of Tardigrades in India

A new, simplified, drying protocol to prepare tardigrades for scanning electron microscopy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO₃ piercing stylets in tardigrades

Effects of synthetic acid rain and organic and inorganic acids on survival and CaCO₃ piercing stylets in tardigrades