Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark.
Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.
J Exp Biol. 2021 Apr 1;224(7). doi: 10.1242/jeb.230797. Epub 2021 Apr 6.
Terrestrial arthropods in the Arctic and Antarctic are exposed to extreme and variable temperatures, and climate change is predicted to be especially pronounced in these regions. Available ecophysiological studies on terrestrial ectotherms from the Arctic and Antarctic typically focus on the ability of species to tolerate the extreme low temperatures that can occur in these regions, whereas studies investigating species plasticity and the importance of evolutionary adaptation to periodically high and increasing temperatures are limited. Here, we provide an overview of current knowledge on thermal adaptation to high temperatures of terrestrial arthropods in Arctic and Antarctic regions. Firstly, we summarize the literature on heat tolerance for terrestrial arthropods in these regions, and discuss variation in heat tolerance across species, habitats and polar regions. Secondly, we discuss the potential for species to cope with increasing and more variable temperatures through thermal plasticity and evolutionary adaptation. Thirdly, we summarize our current knowledge of the underlying physiological adjustments to heat stress in arthropods from polar regions. It is clear that very little data are available on the heat tolerance of arthropods in polar regions, but that large variation in arthropod thermal tolerance exists across polar regions, habitats and species. Further, the species investigated show unique physiological adjustments to heat stress, such as their ability to respond quickly to increasing or extreme temperatures. To understand the consequences of climate change on terrestrial arthropods in polar regions, we suggest that more studies on the ability of species to cope with stressful high and variable temperatures are needed.
陆地节肢动物在北极和南极地区暴露于极端和多变的温度下，预计这些地区的气候变化将尤为明显。现有的关于北极和南极地区陆地变温动物的生态生理学研究通常侧重于物种耐受这些地区可能出现的极端低温的能力，而研究物种可塑性以及对周期性高温和不断升高的温度进行进化适应的重要性的研究则有限。在这里，我们概述了关于北极和南极地区陆地节肢动物高温适应的现有知识。首先，我们总结了这些地区陆地节肢动物耐热性的文献，并讨论了物种、栖息地和极地地区耐热性的变化。其次，我们讨论了物种通过热可塑性和进化适应来应对不断升高和更具变异性的温度的潜力。第三，我们总结了我们目前对极地地区节肢动物对热应激的生理适应的了解。很明显，关于极地地区节肢动物耐热性的数据非常有限，但在极地地区、栖息地和物种之间，节肢动物的耐热性存在很大差异。此外，所研究的物种表现出对热应激的独特生理适应，例如它们能够快速响应升高或极端的温度。为了了解气候变化对极地地区陆地节肢动物的影响，我们建议需要进行更多关于物种应对高压力和多变温度的能力的研究。
