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Colonization of maritime glacier ice by bdelloid Rotifera

2016; Elsevier BV; Volume: 98; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ympev.2016.02.020

1095-9513

Daniel H. Shain, Katrín Halldórsdóttir, Finnur Pálsson, Guðfinna Ađalgeirsdóttir, Andri Gunnarsson, Þorsteinn Jónsson, Shirley A. Lang, Hlynur Skagfjörð Pálsson, Sveinbjörn Steinþórssson, Einar Árnason,

Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Very few animal taxa are known to reside permanently in glacier ice/snow. Here we report the widespread colonization of Icelandic glaciers and ice fields by species of bdelloid Rotifera. Specimens were collected within the accumulation zones of Langjökull and Vatnajökull ice caps, among the largest European ice masses. Rotifers reached densities up to ∼100 individuals per liter-equivalent of glacier ice/snow, and were freeze-tolerant. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that glacier rotifers are polyphyletic, with independent ancestries occurring within the Pleistocene. Collectively, these data identify a previously undescribed environmental niche for bdelloid rotifers and suggest their presence in comparable habitats worldwide.