Thermal tolerance of a freshwater amphipod Gammarus lacustris can be enhanced by acclimation to higher mineralization.

Temperature and mineralization are among the most important environmental factors affecting all processes of aquatic ecosystems, including geographical distribution of water animals. Previously we showed that a brackish water population of Gammarus lacustris, a widespread amphipod, demonstrates substantially higher thermotolerance than a freshwater population. A possible reason for this difference is the fact that brackish water conditions are closer to internal media mineralization.

Different ways to play it cool: Transcriptomic analysis sheds light on different activity patterns of three amphipod species under long-term cold exposure.

Species of littoral freshwater environments in regions with continental climate experience pronounced seasonal temperature changes. Coping with long cold winters and hot summers requires specific physiological and behavioural adaptations. Endemic amphipods of Lake Baikal, Eulimnogammarus verrucosus and Eulimnogammarus cyaneus, show high metabolic activity throughout the year; E.

Low annual temperature likely prevents the Holarctic amphipod Gammarus lacustris from invading Lake Baikal.

Species with effective thermal adaptation mechanisms allowing them to thrive within a wide temperature range can benefit from climatic changes as they can displace highly specialized species. Here, we studied the adaptive capabilities of the Baikal endemic amphipods Eulimnogammarus verrucosus (Gerstfeld, 1858) and Eulimnogammarus cyaneus (Dybowsky, 1874) compared to the potential Holarctic Baikal invader Gammarus lacustris Sars, 1863 at the cellular level including the energy metabolism and the antioxidant system. All species were long-term exposed to a range of temperatures (1.

Transcriptome-level effects of the model organic pollutant phenanthrene and its solvent acetone in three amphipod species.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are common pollutants of water ecosystems originating from incineration processes and contamination with mineral oil. Water solubility of PAHs is generally low; for toxicity tests with aquatic organisms, they are therefore usually dissolved in organic solvents. Here we examined the effects of a typical model PAH, phenanthrene, and a solvent, acetone, on amphipods as relevant aquatic invertebrate models.

Nonspecific stress response to temperature increase in Sars with respect to oxygen-limited thermal tolerance concept.

The previously undescribed dynamics of the heat shock protein HSP70 and subsequent lipid peroxidation products have been assessed alongside lactate dehydrogenase activity for Sars, an amphipod species from the saltwater Lake Shira (Republic of Khakassia). Individuals were exposed to a gradual temperature increase of 1 °C/hour (total exposure duration of 26 hours) starting from the mean annual temperature of their habitat (7 °C) up to 33 °C. A complex of biochemical reactions occurred when saltwater was exposed to the gradual changes in temperature.

Genetic diversity of Microsporidia in the circulatory system of endemic amphipods from different locations and depths of ancient Lake Baikal.

Endemic amphipods (Amphipoda, Crustacea) of the most ancient and large freshwater Lake Baikal (Siberia, Russia) are a highly diverse group comprising >15% of all known species of continental amphipods. The extensive endemic biodiversity of Baikal amphipods provides the unique opportunity to study interactions and possible coevolution of this group and their parasites, such as Microsporidia. In this study, we investigated microsporidian diversity in the circulatory system of 22 endemic species of amphipods inhabiting littoral, sublittoral and deep-water zones in all three basins of Lake Baikal.

Temperature gradient affects differentiation of gene expression and SNP allele frequencies in the dominant Lake Baikal zooplankton species.

Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity are main mechanisms of organisms' resilience in changing environments. Both are affected by gene flow and are expected to be weak in zooplankton populations inhabiting large continuous water bodies and strongly affected by currents. Lake Baikal, the deepest and one of the coldest lakes on Earth, experienced epilimnion temperature increase during the last 100 years, exposing Baikal's zooplankton to novel selective pressures.

Salinity modulates thermotolerance, energy metabolism and stress response in amphipods .

Temperature and salinity are important abiotic factors for aquatic invertebrates. We investigated the influence of different salinity regimes on thermotolerance, energy metabolism and cellular stress defense mechanisms in amphipods Sars from two populations. We exposed amphipods to different thermal scenarios and determined their survival as well as activity of major antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase) and parameters of energy metabolism (content of glucose, glycogen, ATP, ADP, AMP and lactate).