Abstract
Abstract Studies on the long-term survival of animals often focus on the specific instance of survival of animals only, and descriptions of subsequent reproduction are generally not reported. In this study, we recorded the reproductive performance of the first-generation offspring of the resuscitated individual (SB-1) and the hatchling of the resuscitated egg (SB-3) of the Antarctic tardigrade, Acutuncus antarcticus, after being frozen for 30.5 years. By providing further detailed description of the reproduction of SB-1 and SB-3 after revival, and then comparing the reproductive performance with that of their first-generation offspring, the possible indications of the damage accrued during the long-term preservation in SB-1 and SB-3 were more specifically detected. Additionally, the DNA analysis revealed two distinctively different mitochondrial genetic sequences of A. antarcticus between the SB strains and the LSW strain. The observed differences in some of the reproductive parameters between the two genetic types suggested a possible relationship between the life-history traits and genetic type in the species A. antarcticus. Further experiments using the SB-1 and SB-3 strains reared for a long period to exclude the instant effect of preservation are expected to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the long-term survival of animals.
Highlights
Long-term survival of micrometazoans, including tardigrades, has been one of the most studied of the extraordinary physiological characteristics of those animals (e.g. Guidetti & Jönsson, 2002)
By comparing the reproductive performance of SB-1, SB-3 and their offspring, we identified possible indications of damage and recovery in the revived animals, which enhances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the long-term survival of animals
The SB-1 and SB-3 strains had almost identical cox1 gene sequences to those of three A. antarcticus samples previously reported from Dronning Maud Land and hatching success of SB-1 F1s ranges from 0 to 100%, among the 14 individuals recorded, nine produced egg batches with more than 90.0% hatching success and four produced egg batches with 100% hatching success, giving the median of 94.6%
Summary
Long-term survival of micrometazoans, including tardigrades, has been one of the most studied of the extraordinary physiological characteristics of those animals (e.g. Guidetti & Jönsson, 2002). Hypsibiidae), retrieved from a frozen moss sample collected in Antarctica in 1983 and stored at −20 °C for 30.5 years (Tsujimoto et al, 2016a). This previous paper focused on the specific instance of the revival and the detailed reproductive performance of the resuscitated individual and egg was not fully described. With data only on the reproduction of the resuscitated individuals, we were not able to discuss the possible effect of the long-term preservation of animals on reproduction following revival in greater detail
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