TY - JOUR

T1 - A method for studying the metabolic activity of individual tardigrades by measuring oxygen uptake using microrespirometry

AU - Pedersen, Bjarke H.

AU - Malte, Hans

AU - Ramløv, Hans

AU - Finster, Kai

PY - 2020/11

Y1 - 2020/11

N2 - Studies of tardigrade biology have been severely limited by the sparsity of appropriate quantitative techniques, informative on a single-organism level. Therefore, many studies rely on motility-based survival scoring and quantifying reproductive success. Measurements of O2 respiration rates, as an integrating expression of the metabolic activity of single tardigrades, would provide a more comprehensive insight into how an individual tardigrade is responding to specific environmental factors or changes in life stages. Here, we present and validate a new method for determining the O2 respiration rate (nmol O2 mg-1 h-1) of single tardigrades under steady state, using O2 microsensors. As an example, we show that the O2 respiration rate determined in MilliQ water for individuals of Richtersius coronifer and of Macrobiotus macrocalix at 22°C was 10.8±1.84 and 13.1±2.19 nmol O2 mg-1 h-1, respectively.

AB - Studies of tardigrade biology have been severely limited by the sparsity of appropriate quantitative techniques, informative on a single-organism level. Therefore, many studies rely on motility-based survival scoring and quantifying reproductive success. Measurements of O2 respiration rates, as an integrating expression of the metabolic activity of single tardigrades, would provide a more comprehensive insight into how an individual tardigrade is responding to specific environmental factors or changes in life stages. Here, we present and validate a new method for determining the O2 respiration rate (nmol O2 mg-1 h-1) of single tardigrades under steady state, using O2 microsensors. As an example, we show that the O2 respiration rate determined in MilliQ water for individuals of Richtersius coronifer and of Macrobiotus macrocalix at 22°C was 10.8±1.84 and 13.1±2.19 nmol O2 mg-1 h-1, respectively.

KW - Energetics

KW - Metabolism

KW - O2 respiration rate

KW - Tardigrada

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096509124&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1242/jeb.233072

DO - 10.1242/jeb.233072

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33077639

AN - SCOPUS:85096509124

VL - 223

JO - The Journal of Experimental Biology

JF - The Journal of Experimental Biology

SN - 0022-0949

ER -