Penguins and seals can rule Antarctica waters, but its largest terrestrial pet is a 6 mm midge that … [+]
Antarctica is not built for life. Its interior is a wide, frozen desert, where temperatures can be submerged below -40 ° C and icy sliced winds through everything exposed. Even along the relatively soft shores, where summer temperatures are hovering just below the freezing, the soil is a barren space of rock, ice and snow.
The animals we associate with the continent –penguinSeals, whales – all rest on the surrounding ocean for survival. There are no native land mammals, no REPTILES and barely a trace of higher plant life.
But there is a creature that has conquered this icy desert, surviving completely on earth where almost nothing else can: a small, winged insect called Antarctica of Belgiumotherwise known as Midge Antarctic.
In only 2 to 6 millimeters in length, it is also the largest purely terrestrial animal in Antarctica and its only endemic insect. And yet, despite its diminishing size, the Midge of Antarctica is equipped with an arsenal of biological adaptations that allow it to endure one of the most extreme environments on Earth.
But as the climate shifts, the adaptations themselves have kept Antarctica of Belgium Alive for the millennia can turn against him.
Antarctica of Belgium Is built to live on the edge
Antarctic midge is not common insect. Unlike her mosquitoes and relatives of the flight, she lacks her wings – an adaptation that prevents her from exploding from the ruthless winds of the continent.
It consumes most of its two -year life expectancy as a larva, digging through moss, algae and rotting organic matter on the Antarctic Peninsula and the surrounding islands. Only during the short summer of Antarctica appears as an adult, living only 7 to 10 days before pairing and laying its eggs.
Adult midge is just more than one ship for reproduction. It does not have parts of the functional mouth, it means that it cannot eat or drink. Its sole purpose is to reproduce before undergoing a harsh environment.
The true story of survival lies in its larva scene, where Antarctica of Belgium It has evolved a group of extraordinary strategies to endure the extreme cold.
like Antarctica of Belgium Opposes the cold. Tip: He loses 70% of his body water
To survive in the Antarge, the Midge must fight with subzero temperatures, drying and high UV radiation. Over the millions of years, it has developed some of the most extreme physiological adaptations known to science.
Unlike other insects that rely on antifreeze compounds to prevent the formation of ice in their body, Antarctica of Belgium Take a different approach – allows yourself to “freeze”.
His body accumulates croprotectors such as trehalosis, glucose and erytritol, which prevent the ice crystals from forming within its cells. While its outer tissue can freeze solid, its internal organs remain harmless.
Midge Antarctic can survive temperatures as low as -15 ° C before suffering irreversible damage, according to a March 2011 study published in Experimental Biology Newspaper.
One of the most impressive Midge tricks is his ability to lose up to 70% of his body water and enter a state of suspended animation. This process – known as a cryoprotective dehydration – prevents the ice from forming inside its body in the first place. Researchers have compared this survival strategy with that of tardigrades, microscopic creatures famous for the endurance of space vacuum.
Antarctic weather is also unpredictable, with unexpected cold snaps that can be fatal for an unprepared insect. But Antarctica of Belgium There is an integrated emergency response: fast cold strengthening. When exposed to a sudden drop in temperature, his body quickly regulates at a cellular level, increasing its cold tolerance within just hours.
Midge’s two-year life cycle also includes long periods of sleep.
In its first winter, the larva enters a soothing state, stopping its development until the conditions are improved. By its second winter, it is subject to the range – a profound physiological closure that ensures that it appears as an adult during the summer, when temperatures are in their most forgiving.
One of the most surprising discoveries about Antarctica of Belgium is that it has one of the smallest known insect genome. In only 99 million basic couples, its DNA is stripped in the essential things.
Scientists believe that this genetic efficiency is an adaptation to the style of its extreme life, allowing it to conserve energy in an environment where every calorie is calculated.
Climate change can still threaten this final survivor
After flowering in Antarctic for millions of years, Antarctica of Belgium Now it faces an existential threat: a climate of heat. The very adaptations that have made it so successful can now work against it.
In a controlled experiment, the researchers found that the larvae held at -1 ° C had significant lower levels of survival than those held at -5 ° C, which suggests that warmer winters can reduce the survival levels of the Antarctic Midges.
Higher temperatures make the midge burn through its energy reserves very quickly, leaving it too weak to complete its development during the summer.
As the Antarctica warms up, the rainfall is growing, leading to the thicker snow cover in some areas. This insulation effect prevents extreme cooling on which it relies on the Midge Antarctic to enter its low -energy sleeping states.
Without the ability to close completely, it can struggle to maintain enough energy to survive until adulthood.
Antarctica of Belgium It rests on a narrow summer window to exit, reproduce and lay its eggs. If temperatures rise too much, or if the summer becomes shorter and more unpredictable, this delicate time can be thrown out, reducing reproductive success.
The future of Antarctid’s smallest giant
For now, Antarctica of Belgium It remains one of Antarctica’s most elastic species, a testimony of nature’s ability to adapt to even the most brutal conditions.
But its future is uncertain. As temperatures rise and weather models shift, scientists are competing to understand how the small Midge of Antarctic will respond.
Beyond its ecological importance, the Midge of Antarctic is also a biological miracle.
Studying his adaptations can lead to advances in cryopreservation, medicine and even astrobiology – fields seeking to understand how life can endure in the most unimportant countries, from Antarctica to Far ICY MONDAY.
Whether she will continue to bloom or undergo changes in reshaping her frozen home remains to be seen.
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