It is a survivor. The small Antarctic mosquito is the only kind of insect known originally from the icy continent. He fixes them with freezing temperatures with unique latency strategies. This is the story of the strange and only Antarctic mosquito.
The Metropolitan University of Osaka dedicated himself to studying it. The mosquito adapts to the stations during its two -year life cycle. Experience inactivity in your first year and forced diapause in your second. The research has been published in Scientific Reports.
Long breaks
Inactivity is a form of latency in immediate response to adverse conditions. When conditions improve, the body is activated again. The forced diapause is a naturally induced lethargy period at a fixed moment of the life cycle of an organism. Is A rare form that is observed in the insects of the temperate regions.
«We were able to establish a method to raise the Antarctic mosquito for a period of six years. This is how we discovered some of its environmental adaptation mechanisms, ”explained the main author Mizuki Yoshida in a statement. He makes a post -concealed at the University of Ohio State.
The team discovered that Antarctic mosquito larvae generally grow to their second stage in the first winter. They enter into a state of inactivity to quickly resume their development at any time when it suddenly makes more heat.
As the second winter approaches, the larvae reach the fourth final stadium, but do not transform into pupae. Instead, they enter Diapause forced so that they all emerge as adults when summer arrives. As adults, they only have a few days of life. They need to find a couple, so this synchronization mechanism is key to their survival. The strange and only Antarctic mosquito is activated as a team.
Skilled strategy
«The forced diapause ends with the arrival of the low temperatures in winter. So that all larvae are transformed into pupae at the same time and emerge as adults at the same time ». It was affirmed by Professor Shin Goto, who directed the research.
«No seasonal adaptation strategies have been described that involve spending the winter several times. They use both inactivity and forced diapause. We believe that insects that inhabit hostile environments such as Arctic and great altitudes could be using similar strategies.
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