Water balance in Collembola and its relation to habitat selection; cuticular water loss and water uptake

Verhoef, H.A.; Witteveen, Joeri

doi:10.1016/0022-1910(80)90081-5

Cited by 89 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Our force measurements show that only a few setae are necessary to securely arrest a springtail. The body mass of adult springtails ranges between 0.1 and 0.2 mg (Christian, 1979;Verhoef and Witteveen, 1980), which corresponds to a weight force of 1-2 μN. A struggling springtail may release forces largely exceeding its own body weight, especially when jumping (Christian, 1979).…”

Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Gluing the ‘unwettable’: soil-dwelling harvestmen use viscoelastic fluids for capturing springtails

Wolff

Schönhofer

Schaber

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Gluing can be a highly efficient mechanism of prey capture, as it should require less complex sensory-muscular feedback. Whereas it is well known in insects, this mechanism is much less studied in arachnids, except spiders. Soil-dwelling harvestmen (Opiliones, Nemastomatidae) bear drumstick-like glandular hairs (clavate setae) at their pedipalps, which were previously hypothesized to be sticky and used in prey capture. However, clear evidence for this was lacking to date. Using high-speed videography, we found that the harvestman Mitostoma chrysomelas was able to capture fast-moving springtails (Collembola) just by a slight touch of the pedipalp. Adhesion of single clavate setae increased proportionally with pulloff velocity, from 1 μN at 1 μm s −1 up to 7 μN at 1 mm s −1 , which corresponds to the typical weight of springtails. Stretched glue droplets exhibited characteristics of a viscoelastic fluid forming beadson-a-string morphology over time, similar to spider capture threads and the sticky tentacles of carnivorous plants. These analogies indicate that viscoelasticity is a highly efficient mechanism for prey capture, as it holds stronger the faster the struggling prey moves. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy of snap-frozen harvestmen with glued springtails revealed that the gluey secretions have a high affinity to wet the microstructured cuticle of collembolans, which was previously reported to be barely wettable for both polar and non-polar liquids. Glue droplets can be contaminated with the detached scaly setae of collembolans, which may represent a counter-adaptation against entrapment by the glue, similar to the scaly surfaces of Lepidoptera and Trichoptera (Insecta) facilitating escape from spider webs.

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Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Gluing the ‘unwettable’: soil-dwelling harvestmen use viscoelastic fluids for capturing springtails

Wolff

Schönhofer

Schaber

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Different communities developed under the different moisture conditions. Data in the literature (Fjellberg 1980;Verhoef & Witteveen 1980;Steiner 1995) indicate that the community in the drought plots included more drought-tolerant species, such as Zygoribatula exilis and Entomobrya spp., in accordance with our second hypothesis. The irrigated plots also had distinct communities.…”

Section:     mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of experimental irrigation and drought on the composition and diversity of soil fauna in a coniferous stand

Lindberg

Engtsson

Persson

2002

Journal of Applied Ecology

228

124

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Summary1. The effects of experimental long-term summer drought and irrigation on soil fauna were studied in a Norway spruce stand in south-western Sweden. The treatments, carried out over 8 and 10 years respectively, were chosen to simulate two scenarios of climate change, involving drier and wetter summers. 2. Different microarthropod communities developed in the different treatments. The abundances of enchytraeids, mesostigmatid mites and macroarthropod predators were all lowest in the drought plots. Drought decreased and irrigation increased the abundance and diversity of Oribatida. Drought decreased the abundance of Collembola. 3. The dominance structure of Oribatida and Collembola also changed, but less markedly. Drought affected community composition of both groups more than irrigation. 4. The study confirms that soil microarthropods can be useful environmental indicators, but their responses did not support the widely held view that deviations from a lognormal dominance structure indicates a stressed community. 5. The results also indicate that a drier climate with summer drought will lead to the local extinction of some soil animal species in this region.

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“…In insects, organs containing transport cells are located externally or internally in various orders living in water or wet habitats (for review, see Komnick, 1977;Filshie and Campbell, 1984;Garrett and Bradley, 1984). They are also present in Diplura (abdominal vesicles) and Collembola (tubus ventralis), where they are involved in water uptake (Eisenbeis, 1974(Eisenbeis, , 1976Weyda, 1976Weyda, , 1980Verhoef and Witteveen, 1980;Rościszewska and Ksią żkiewicz, 1981).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Fine structure and probable function of ring organs in the mite Histiostoma feroniarum (Acari: Actinotrichida: Acaridida: Histiostomatidae)

Witaliński

Liana

Alberti

2002

Journal of Morphology

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Histiostoma feroniarum, like other histiostomatid mites, possesses peculiar ring organs that are visible under the light microscope as ventrally located, characteristic rings of sclerotized cuticle. The ring organ is composed of three elements: a disc of modified cuticle, ring organ cells located underneath the disc, and an "empty" chamber frequently visible between the cuticular disc and the cells. The cuticle of the disc is not perforated and differs from the surrounding unmodified cuticle as revealed by special staining developed for light microscopy and by electron microscopy. The ring organ cells show a polarity, with a practically smooth apical surface and an extremely folded basal membrane. The basal invaginations reach the apical cell portion, where they form tubular canaliculi distributed beneath the apical cell membrane. The cytoplasm contains many mitochondria, which are usually in contact with the cell membrane invaginations. Structurally, the ring organ cells closely resemble the transport cells described in osmoregulatory organs both in water-inhabiting and terrestrial arthropods. Thus, our results support earlier suggestions of an osmoregulatory function performed by sclerotized rings (=ring organs), as an adaptation to aqueous environments. A possible homology with similar organs of other mites is discussed.

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Water balance in Collembola and its relation to habitat selection; cuticular water loss and water uptake

Cited by 89 publications

References 15 publications

Gluing the ‘unwettable’: soil-dwelling harvestmen use viscoelastic fluids for capturing springtails

Gluing the ‘unwettable’: soil-dwelling harvestmen use viscoelastic fluids for capturing springtails

Effects of experimental irrigation and drought on the composition and diversity of soil fauna in a coniferous stand

Fine structure and probable function of ring organs in the mite Histiostoma feroniarum (Acari: Actinotrichida: Acaridida: Histiostomatidae)

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