Project Title

Mechanisms of adaptation to terrestrial Antarctica through comparative physiology and genomics of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic insects

Summary

Event Number:
B-046-L/P
NSFGEO-NERC / OPP Award 1850988

Program Director:
Dr. Rebecca Gast

ASC POC/Implementer:
David Rivera / Jamee Johnson

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Nicholas Mario Teets
n.teets@uky.edu
University of Kentucky Lexington

Location

Supporting Stations: ARSV Laurence M. Gould, Palmer Station
Research Locations: Western Antarctic Peninsula

Description

Antarctica is inhospitable for insects, and only three midge species live there. Of these, Belgica antarctica is the only species found exclusively in Antarctica. It has been difficult to pinpoint the evolutionary adaptations this insect needed to survive in Antarctica due to a lack of information about closely related species. This project will compare adaptations, genome sequences, and population characteristics of four midge species spanning an environmental gradient from sub-Antarctic to Antarctic habitats. Researchers from the U.S., U.K., Chile, and France, will sample insects from across their geographic range and measure their ability to tolerate environmental stressors, quantify molecular responses to stress, and compare their patterns of genetic diversity. This will contribute to a greater understanding of biodiversity and adaptation to extremes, and it will help in predicting the changes that accompany environmental change.

Field Season Overview

The science team proposes to conduct in-depth physiological, genomic, and population studies of three closely related midge species. They will collect Antarctic midge samples to be processed in the field, on the ship, or at Palmer Station. They will then conduct a variety of experiments in the laboratory to characterize the stress tolerance, define the lower and upper limits of lethality for different conditions and measure the effect of pretreatment on stress tolerance. They plan to ship frozen and live samples back to their home institutions. This project involves international collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey. Five people will deploy on the the ARSV Laurence M. Gould (LMG) and collect samples from the islands visited in 2020. All dataloggers deployed in 2020 will be collected. Two people will remain at Palmer Station to collect midge samples via small boat operations. The LMG based team will have 16 days of ship time for field work and the Palmer Station team will stay an additional three weeks to finish experiments on station.

Deploying Team Members