Surviving in Antarctica: An Insect Perspective by David Denlinger

This presentation was made by Dr. David Denlinger, Distinguished University Professor Department of Entomology and Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University.
Although insects are among the dominant forms of life on most continents, only one insect, a wingless midge, Belgica antarctica, is endemic to Antarctica. The midge is locally abundant but has a patchy distribution along the Antarctic Peninsula. This insect has a remarkable set of adaptations allowing it to survive not only low temperatures, but also desiccation, UV radiation, and extremes of salinity and pH. This presentation highlights the environment of the midge and the field site at Palmer Station and discusses our experimental results demonstrating physiological and molecular adaptations used by the midge to survive in this hostile environment. Our recent sequencing project indicates that this midge has the smallest genome yet described for an insect and opens new doors for discovery of mechanisms used by the midge for survival.