Sexually-manifested variations in pigmentation of Boeckella poppei (Copepoda, Calanoida) from Livingston Island (Maritime Antarctica)

By

Pandourski, Ivan
Evtimova, Vesela
Kenderov, Lyubomir

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-4-21

Original Publication

BioRisk : biodiversity & ecosystem risk assessment

Volume

17

Pages

263--269

Subjects

Bulgarian Antarctic Base , copepod pigmentation , freshwater , ovigerous females , progeny photoprotection

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.17.75988

 

Abstract

Antarctic environments are exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that are often detrimental to their biota. Recent studies suggest that the genus Boeckella (Copepoda, Calanoida) has a high level of plasticity in terms of its reaction to UVR, which enables its wide distribution in various water bodies in Antarctica. Boeckella poppei is common in freshwater habitats of all three main biogeographic regions in Antarctica: sub-Antarctic islands, maritime and continental. We present for the first time a specific photoprotective response in populations of B. poppei from Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica. In non-ovigerous females and in males, we observed uniform distribution of carotenoids in the body, while these pigments were almost entirely concentrated in the ovisacs of mature females. We consider this as a means of progeny protection from the teratogenic influence of the high level of UVR in Antarctic environments. Unequivocally, such adaptation would facilitate the expansion of B. poppei on the continent through colonisation and survival in shallow freshwater habitats. Given that the Antarctic environment is dynamically changing over the past decades and the accelerated retreat of permanent ice cover is a premise for the formation of shallow ponds, B. poppei could be a suitable indicator for reflecting the ongoing global environmental changes in Antarctica.