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Integrative and Comparative Biology 2005 45(5):710-714; doi:10.1093/icb/45.5.710
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The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology

Factors Inducing Successful Anhydrobiosis in the African Chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki: Significance of the Larval Tubular Nest1

Takahiro Kikawada1, Noboru Minakawa2, Masahiko Watanabe1 and Takashi Okuda2,1
1 National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
2 Saga University, Faculty of Medicine, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan

The African chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki exhibits anhydrobiosis, i.e., the larvae can survive complete desiccation. Recovery rate and trehalose content were investigated in larvae desiccated slowly or at a rate more than 3 times faster. Upon slow desiccation (evaporation rate 0.22 ml day–1) larvae synthesized 38 µg trehalose/individual before complete desiccation, and all of them recovered after rehydration, whereas larvae that were dehydrated quickly (evaporation rate 0.75 ml day–1) accumulated only 6.8 µg trehalose/individual and none of them revived after rehydration. In the pools that are their natural habitat P. vanderplanki larvae make tubes by incorporating detritus or soil with their sticky saliva. This tubular structure is a physical barrier not only to protect the larva from natural enemies but also induces successful anhydrobiosis by reducing the dehydration rate. When larvae were dehydrated with 100 µl distilled water (DW) in soil tubes, they accumulated 37 µg trehalose/individual and more than half of them could revive after rehydration, whereas larvae without tubes accumulated lower level of trehalose and none recovered after rehydration.


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