A comparative ultrastructure study of the tardigradeRamazzottius varieornatusin the hydrated state, after desiccation and during the process of rehydration

Abstract

AbstractTardigrades can survive hostile environments such as desiccation by adopting a state of anhydrobiosis. Numerous tardigrade species have been described thus far, and recent genome and transcriptome analyses revealed that several distinct strategies were employed to cope with harsh environments depending on the evolutionary lineages. Detailed analyses at the cellular and subcellular levels are essential to complete these data. In this work, we analyzed a tardigrade species that can withstand rapid dehydration,Ramazzottius varieornatus. Surprisingly, we noted an absence of the anhydrobiotic-specific extracellular structure previously described for theHypsibius exemplarisspecies. BothRamazzottius varieornatusandHypsibius exemplarisbelong to the same evolutionary class of Eutardigrada. Nevertheless, our observations reveal discrepancies in the anhydrobiosis mechanisms between these two species. Interestingly, these discrepancies are correlated with their variations in dehydration resistance.