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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The ice fly Diamesa steinboecki Goetghebuer, 1933 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Diamesinae) is exclusive to glacier-fed streams in the East Palaearctic region and is threatened by extinction due to global warming and glacier retreat. To date, no data are available on its thermal tolerance or ability to develop a heat shock response (HSR) or involve other biomarkers when exposed to higher-than-natural temperatures (i.e., >4–6 °C). Our study aimed to investigate the warmth resistance of IV-instar larvae of D. steinboecki in terms of (1) ability to survive heat shock and (2) gene expression of four genes known to be involved in the detoxification/stress response (cytochrome p450 (Cyp450), heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), hsp70 with intron and heat shock protein cognate 70 (hsc70)). Larvae were exposed to short-term shocks for 1 h at increasing temperatures (26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40 °C) to estimate the lethal temperature, obtaining high values (LT10 = 38.1 °C, LT50 = 39.2 °C, LT99 = 40.3 °C), suggesting a strong heat resistance up to 38 °C and a very rapid decline in survival thereafter. Moreover, gene expression analysis by real-time PCR was performed on larvae from the control (at 2 °C) and larvae found alive after the previous treatment at 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 °C. Modulation of the expression was observed only for hsc70 and hsp70 genes. Specifically, hsc70 resulted in constitutive overexpression, even at 26 °C when all larvae were found alive without evidence of suffering. By contrast, hsp70 showed up and downregulation according to the specific temperature, suggesting the activation of an HSR at 28 °C, when some larvae were found alive but suffering (almost paralyzed). The results suggest that, based on LTs, D. steinboecki is more thermally tolerant than other Diamesa species (e.g., D. tonsa) from cold freshwaters, but, as in these, hsp70 and hsc70 are involved in surviving short-term heat shock. This makes the ice fly from the Alps different from Belgica antarctica and other cold-adapted organisms living in extremely cold habitats that, constantly exposed to cold, have lost the ability to develop an HSR. Further research is needed to investigate the response to prolonged exposure to temperatures higher that the natural one, giving new insights into the biological response to climate change of alpine species threatened by extinction.

Details

Title
Impact of Global Warming on Kryal Fauna: Thermal Tolerance Response of Diamesa steinboecki (Goetghebuer, 1933; Chironomidae)
Author
Muñiz-González, Ana-Belén 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Martínez-Guitarte, José-Luis 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lencioni, Valeria 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Biology & Toxicology Group, Department of Mathematics, Physics and Fluids, UNED, Av Esparta S/N, Carretera de Las Rozas al Escorial, Las Rozas, 28232 Madrid, Spain; CESAM, Department of Environment & Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal 
 Biology & Toxicology Group, Department of Mathematics, Physics and Fluids, UNED, Av Esparta S/N, Carretera de Las Rozas al Escorial, Las Rozas, 28232 Madrid, Spain 
 Climate and Ecology Unit, Research and Museum Collection Office, MUSE—Museo delle Scienze, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, 38122 Trento, Italy; [email protected] 
First page
708
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
14242818
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2829794892
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.