Milena Roszkowska

• MSc
• PhD Student at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań

In this paper, samples of mosses, lichens and cryptogams (mosses mixed with lichens) collected from Słowiński National Park (northern Poland) were studied for water bears (Tardigrada). In total, 27 tardigrade taxa were identified: 21 to the species level, one identified as „cf.” and three to the genus level, with six species (Eremobiotus ginevrae,...

Tardigrades are common in many terrestrial environments and habitats. Although little is known on their ecological preferences, previous studies found diversity and community composition significantly affected by various variables. This study associated tardigrade species’ records with climatic variables, forest type, and substrate categories explo...

The genera Xerobiotus and Pseudohexapodibius are xerophilic and characterized by reduced appendages and claws as adaptations to move between small interstices. To increase the knowledge of their biodiversity, biogeography and phylogeny, several specimens from European countries and Australia were analysed using an integrative approach, i.e. morphol...

Anhydrobiosis is a desiccation tolerance that denotes the ability to survive almost complete dehydration without sustaining damage. The knowledge on the survival capacity of various tardigrade species in anhydrobiosis is still very limited. Our research compares anhydrobiotic capacities of four tardigrade species from different genera, i.e. Echinis...

The role of airborne transport was suggested to be especially important for the species of minute, self-fertilizing land snail. Therefore, the force of the wind plays a potentially significant role for the transportation of land snails between patches of fragmented environment. However, so far, the topic of the influence of wind gusts on the disper...

Background: Tardigrada (water bears) of the Słowiński National Park (SPN) are almost unknown, with only two species, Mesocrista spitzbergensis (Richters, 1903) and Hypsibius pallidus Thulin, 1911, reported from this area. Taking into consideration intensive changes in tardigrade taxonomy in recent years, large number newly described tardigrades and...

Background: Tardigrades are common in most habitats, however few studies have focused on large faunistic survey, specifically on tardigrade diversity in forests. Up to now, only 61 species have been recorded in different types of forest in Norway with an additional 25 found in limnic environments in forests. Although little is known about the ecolo...

In the present study, we used an integrative taxonomy approach to redescribe a population of Echiniscus quadrispinosus quadrispinosus Richters, 1902 from the neotype locality in the Taunus Mountain Range (Germany). We found clear differences in the chaetotaxy formula between the life stages of E. q. quadrispinosus. The body appendages B are, in gen...

Anhydrobiosis is a desiccation tolerance that denotes the ability to survive almost complete dehydration without sustaining damage. However, knowledge on the survival capacity of anhydrobiosis in various species of tardigrades is still very limited. Our research has compared anhydrobiotic capacities of four tardigrade species: Echiniscus testudo, P...

In the present study, we used the integrative taxonomy approach to redescribe Minibiotus intermedius based on the newly found topotypic population in Marburg (Germany). As the original type material is not available, we designate a neotype to stabilize the taxonomy of the genus Minibiotus. Obtained mitochondrial COI barcode sequence and nuclear mar...

Dispersal abilities in animals contribute to their local genetic variability and species persistence. However, the mechanisms facilitating a short-distance migration of small organisms remain underexplored. In this study we experimentally tested the role of land snails for a fine-scale transmission of tardigrades. We also check the ecological relat...

In this paper, samples of mosses and lichens collected from Ivohibory Forest (south-central Madagascar) were studied in search for tardigrades. In total, 39 tardigrade taxa were identified, 21 of which are new records for Madagascar. Moreover, one of these is a new species for science. Bryodelphax beniowskii sp. nov., described here based on morpho...

Anhydrobiosis is considered to be an adaptation of important applicative implications because it enables resistance to the lack of water. The phenomenon is still not well understood at molecular level. Thus, a good model invertebrate species for the research is required. The best known anhydrobiotic invertebrates are tardigrades (Tardigrada), consi...

Water availability is one of the most important factors for terrestrial life. Terrestrial habitats may periodically become dry, which can be overcome by an organism's capability to undergo anhydrobiosis. In animals, this phenomenon has been reported for invertebrates, with tardigrades being the best-known. However, different tardigrade species appe...

Anhydrobiosis is considered to be an adaptation of important applicative implications because it enables resistance to the lack of water. The phenomenon is still not well understood at molecular level. Thus, a good model invertebrate species for the research is required. The best known anhydrobiotic invertebrates are tardigrades (Tardigrada), consi...

Abstract. A new heterotardigrade genus, Zealandiscus gen. nov., is erected for the species Echiniscus palmai. Dorsal plates' sculpturing with sparsely distributed large hemispherical protuberances and very tiny granules distinguish this genus from all known members of the genus Echiniscus. The new genus is most similar to the genus Kristenseniscus...

Mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) is predicted to be present in mitochondria of several invertebrate taxa including tardigrades. Independently of the reason concerning the enzyme occurrence in animal mitochondria, expression of AOX in human mitochondria is regarded as a potential therapeutic strategy. Till now, relevant data were obtained due...

Two new tardigrade species from a moss sample collected in Canada, one representing Macrobiotus hufelandi complex and the second one belonging to the genus Bryodelphax, are described. Integrative analysis was undertaken based on morphological and morphometric data (using both light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) combined with multilocus mo...

We used high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA to test whether tardigrade species are infected with Wolbachia parasites. We applied SILVA and Greengenes databases that allowed taxonomic classification of bacterial sequences to OTUs. The results obtained from both databases differed considerably in the number of OTUs, and only the Greengenes databas...

In the present study, we used integrative taxonomy to describe a population of Diploechiniscus oihonnae (Richters, 1903) from the neotype locality in Merok (Norway). We found no differences in the chaetotaxy formula between the life stages and sex of Dpl. oihonnae. The presence of filaments at B d in some specimens of Dpl. oihonnae appears to be ra...

Anhydrobiosis can be described as an adaptation to lack of water that enables some organisms, including tardigrades, to survive extreme conditions, even some that do not exist on Earth. The cellular mechanisms underlying anhydrobiosis are still not completely explained including the putative contribution of mitochondrial proteins. Since mitochondri...

Tardigrades are microinvertebrates inhabiting almost all aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world. They are known for their ability to enter into cryptobiosis and to survive extreme environmental conditions (e.g. lack of water, very high and low temperatures, high doses of radiation, vacuum space). Thanks to these abilities, tardigra...

Anhydrobiosis can be described as an adaptation to lack of water that enables some organisms, including tardigrades, to survive extreme conditions, even some that do not exist on Earth. The cellular mechanisms underlying anhydrobiosis are still not completely explained including the putative contribution of mitochondrial proteins. Since mitochondri...

In the present paper, we examined the type material as well as newly collected specimens of the rare Antarctic eutardigrade species-Dastychius improvisus. Based on the available material, we prepared a full re-description of this species emending its description with new morphometrical characters. We conducted also phylogenetic analyses based on 18...

Mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) is present in mitochondria of many invertebrates. Independently of the reason concerning the enzyme occurrence in animal mitochondria, expression of AOX in human mitochondria is regarded as a potential therapeutic strategy. Till now, relevant data were obtained due to heterologous AOX expression in cells and...

Background The phylum Tardigrada consists of over 1,300 species that inhabit terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments throughout the world. In terrestrial habitats they live primarily in mosses, lichens, leaf litter and soil, whereas tardigrades in freshwater and marine environments are mainly found in sediments and on aquatic plants. More t...

Full understanding of long-term cryptobiosis, including anhydrobiosis, could contribute to many areas, from biology and biotechnology to industry, pharmacy and medicine. Anhydrobiosis has been reported in a few groups of micrometazoans such as nematodes, tardigrades and rotifers. Here we present data on the revival of two eutardigrade species – Mac...

Anhydrobiosis can be described as an adaptation to lack of water. This adaptation provides some organisms including tardigrades with a set of capabilities allowing them to survive extreme conditions that even do not exist on Earth. However, the underlying cellular mechanisms are still not explained. Available data assumes important contribution of...

We studied the tardigrade Paramacrobiotus experimentalis Kaczmarek, Mioduchowska Poprawa Roszkowska 2020 as a model to verify predictions of the mentioned hypotheses We studied life history traits of that species along with some intracellular traits In order to determine markers of aging, we analyzed the functional state of mitochondria and the amo...

Polypedilum darwini sp. nov. is described from Ecuadorian Amazonia based on the adult male. The new species is similar to P. feridae Bidawid­Kafka, 1996 in general morphology. Additionally Polypedilum salwiti Bidawid-­Kafka, 1996 is recorded for the first time outside of Brazil.

Background: Mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) is suggested to be present in mitochondria of most invertebrates but not vertebrates. Independently of the reason concerning the enzyme occurrence in animal mitochondria, expression of AOX in human mitochondria is regarded as a potential therapeutic strategy in treatment of mitochondrial diseases...

Species of the genus Mesobiotus are some of the most often recorded eutardigrades throughout the world. The majority of Mesobiotus species have been described based on morphology of the eggs, which is the most important character in this genus, from the taxonomic point of view. In this paper, we analysed in detail the morphology of eggs, oral cavit...

Pseudechiniscus is a morphologically homogeneous heterotardigrade genus with a relatively low number of morphological features useful for the species discrimination. The species of the Pseudechiniscus suillus-facettalis complex are some of the most challenging tardigrades to identify. Here, we examine several populations from Antarctica, Italy, Mad...

Homeotherms and many poikilotherms display a positive relationship between body size and latitude, but this has rarely been investigated in microscopic animals. We analysed all published records of marine Tardigrada to address whether microscopic marine invertebrates have similar ecogeographical patterns to macroscopic animals. The data were analys...

Pseudechiniscus is a morphologically homogeneous genus of tardigrades. The morphological features commonly used for species discrimination in this genus are the dorsal sculpture, the shape and number of dorsal plates and trunk appendages. Species of the Pseudechiniscus suillus-facettalis complex are one of the most challenging tardigrades to identi...

Studies on Antarctic tardigrades started at the beginning of the twentieth century and have progressed very slowly and ca. 75 tardigrade species are known from this region. Paramacrobiotus fairbanksi was described from USA based on genetic markers and later reported from Italy, Poland, and Spain. The "everything is everywhere" hypothesis suggests t...

Two new eutardigrade genera Vladimirobius gen. nov. and Weglarskobius gen. nov. are erected for the species Grevenius irregibilis (Biserov, 1992) and Isohypsibius altai Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2006a, respectively. They are characterized by strongly modified claws, bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of the Isohypsibius variant, pharyngeal apophyses, and pla...

In a moss samples collected on Madagascar two populations of Paramacrobiotus experimentalis sp. nov. were found. Paramacrobiotus experimentalis sp. nov. with the presence of a microplacoid and areolatus type of the eggs is similar to Pam. danielae, Pam. garynahi, Pam. hapukuensis, Pam. peteri, Pam. rioplatensis and Pam. savai, but it differs from t...

The majority of species in the genus Echiniscus (Heterotardigrada) have been described based on differences in the chaetotaxy or dorsal sculpture. Dorsal sculpture is, in general, considered to be species-specific and not very variable; however, many problems have arisen due to various interpretations of microscope images, which has led to taxonomi...

Mexico is a megadiverse country, however its tardigrade fauna is poorly known and to date 44 species have been reported from this region. In the present paper, an update of the reported Mexican tardigrades is presented, increasing the number of recorded tardigrades to 55 species (11 new records). Moreover, we describe Milnesium cassandrae sp. nov....

The knowledge of the diversity and distribution of tardigrades on Madagascar is rather poor. To date, only 13 tardigrade taxa have been reported from this region (including one Milnesium species). We examined 46 specimens belonging to two new-to-science species of the genus Milnesium described herein using an integrative approach, including classic...

In this study, 53 samples of mosses, lichens and leaf-litter collected in Italy were studied for Tardigrada. In total, 35 tardigrade taxa were identified. Three of them (Macrobiotus sottilei, Milnesium dornensis and Ramazzottius subanomalus) are new records for the Italian fauna. We also analysed recent reports on Italian limno-terrestrial tardigra...

Although gradual deterioration of life functions with age is not a fundamental rule, it is pervasive among living organisms, regardless of their mode of reproduction and the number of constituent cells. However, deterioration can be temporarily arrested or slowed down due to the process of anhydrobiosis. Two modes of anhydrobiosis can be distinguis...

In two moss samples collected in El Cajas National Park (Azuay Province, Ecuador), 33 specimens and 19 eggs of a new species of Macrobiotus and 56 heterotardigrades belonging to a new Echiniscus species were extracted. Macrobiotus dulciporus sp. nov. belongs to the hufelandi group and is most similar to Macrobiotus maculatus Iharos, 1973. It differ...

The Mesobiotus harmsworthi group has a global distribution, with localities in polar, temperate and tropical zones. Since the first species of the harmsworthi group was described in the beginning of the 20th century, tens of new species within the group were found and named. However, the diagnosis of the nominal Mesobiotus harmsworthi is insufficie...

Genetic distances. Matrices with calculated uncorrected p-genetic distances. (XLSX)

In a moss sample collected from Mount Kulal in Kenya, a new population of Mesobiotus radiatus was found. Given that the original description of M. radiatus was based solely on the morphology observed by light microscopy and measurements based mostly on a single individual, here we describe the new population by means of integrative taxonomy and a l...

Finding life on other worlds is a fascinating area of astrobiology and planetary sciences. Presently, over 3800 exoplanets, representing a very wide range of physical and chemical environments, are known. Scientists are not only looking for traces of life outside Earth, but they are also trying to find out which of Earth's known organisms (ex: tard...

In a mixed moss and lichen sample collected in Esmeraldas Province in north-western Ecuador, 20 tardigrades and 11 eggs, belonging to a new species of the genus Mesobiotus, were found. In addition to the traditional taxonomic description with morphometrics, light and scanning microscopy imaging, we also provide nucleotide sequences of three nuclear...

The recent re-description of Paramacrobiotus Guidetti, Schill, Bertolani, Dandekar and Wolf, 2009 has inadvertently led to the description of an objective synonym within its subgenera nominal taxa. To resolve this issue, we have re-described both subgenera, and proposed a new substitute name for one subgenus, in line with the International Code of...

Marine tardigrades are very poorly known and up to now only c. 200 taxa have been reported around the world (mostly from European coasts). In a marine algae sample, collected on the coast of Fuerteventura island (Atlantic Ocean, Canary Islands), six specimens of three marine Arthrotardigrada species were found: Archechiniscus minutus Grimaldi de Zi...

Finding life on other worlds is a fascinating area of astrobiology and planetary sciences. Presently, over 3500 exoplanets, representing a very wide range of physical and chemical environments, are known. Tardigrades (water bears) are microscopic invertebrates that inhabit almost all terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, from the highest mou...

Tardigrada in Antarctic regions are poorly known. The aim of this study was to examine for tardigrades the nests material of the kelp gull (Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein, 1823) in maritime Antarctic and discuss the possible ways of migration and dispersion of tardigrades by birds. We also discuss the influence of bird’s guano on the communities of...

FULL TEXT http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17451000.2017.1342845

In this article we describe a new Paramacrobiotus species of the areolatus group by means of integrative taxonomy. Together with the detailed morphological and morphometric data (obtained from light and scanning electron microscopy) we also provide DNA sequences of four universal molecular markers used in tardigrade taxonomy (three nDNA fragments:...

In this paper, samples of mosses and lichens collected from Bory Tucholskie National Park, Zaborski Landscape Park, and their surroundings (Pomerania Province, northern Poland) were studied for water bears (Tardigrada). In total, 38 tardigrade taxa were identified and six of them (Hypsibius cf. allisoni, Hyp. scabropygus, Macrobiotus sottilei, Miln...

Abstract.— Based on the original species descriptions, a review of the genus Paramacrobiotus was conducted. We divided the genus into two subgenera, Microplacoidus subgen. nov. and Paramacrobiotus subgen. nov., based on the presence or absence of a microplacoid, and characterized species within the genus based on seven different types of eggs. In a...

The ability to enter into a state of anhydrobiosis, which denotes capability to survive almost complete drying (i.e., desiccation), makes tardigrades resistant to many unfavorable environmental factors including extreme temperatures, low and high atmospheric pressures as well as high doses of ionizing radiation or X-rays. Moreover, tardigrades are...

From a moss sample collected in the Manabí Province in Ecuador, we extracted 96 specimens of a new species of eutardigrade. No eggs were found. In order to obtain eggs, an in vitro culture was prepared. In total, 136 specimens (including ten simplex), one exuvia and 44 eggs (including two with embryos) of the new species were obtained. In addition...

We are reporting the first locality of invasive giant African snail, Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica (Férussac, 1821) in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It was found present in 32 out of 50 urban sites studied. The abundance where present was relatively high when compared to literature from other parts of the world. The snails were found in aggregations, usu...

Anhydrobiosis is an astounding strategy that allows certain organisms including plants and invertebrate animals to survive severe drought (including physiological one) in their habitat. Thus, anhydrobiosis denotes a tolerance against almost complete drying (desiccation) manifesting as the ability to survive desiccation without sustaining damages. A...

In 1988, several specialists of various fields maintained a short expedition to Spitsbergen to estimate future research possibilities in this arctic region. For palaecological research, we collected a 60 cm deep profile from an open pit (NW part of Spitsbergen, Bockfjord region, 79°25´N, 13°25´E, at the foot of the Sverrefjellet Volcano, 507 m a.s....

Anhydrobiosis is a strategy that allows certain organisms, including plants and invertebrates, to survive almost complete drying, (i.e., desiccation). Among animals capable of anhydrobiosis tardigrades are notable for being perhaps the most known ones and for application as a model in the phenomenon studies. The Tardigrada phylum currently includes...

Milnesium, with its relatively short and wide buccal tube, is considered carnivorous. Species in this genus exhibit differences in buccal tube length, standard buccal tube width, and the buccal tube length/width ratio. To determine whether buccal tube size is correlated with the type of prey, ˜4000 specimens of various Milnesium species were examin...

Till recently, 59 species of ptyctimous mites were recorded from Ecuador, most of them exclusively from the Sierra and Oriente regions. The number of species of limited distributions, endemic or indigenous is very low, the majority of them are widely distributed in the Neotropical Region or are pantropical or semicosmopolitan. We processed 47 soil...

A relatively large attention has been addressed to extraordinary capability of cryptobiotic animals to survive under extreme conditions but still very little is known about the impact of the capability on their ageing and the underlying mechanisms. Undoubtedly, better understanding of the mechanisms is of a crucial importance for many branches of a...

In a moss sample collected in Costa Rica, 63 specimens and 13 eggs of the new species were found. Mesobiotus pseudopatiens sp. nov. belongs to the harmsworthi group and is most similar to Mesobiotus patiens, but it differs from it mainly by smaller eggs, longer flexible portions of egg processes and certain morphometric characters of adults. In add...

In this paper, Macrobiotus naskreckii sp. nov., a new species of the hufelandi group from the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, is described. The analysis have revealed that M. naskreckii sp. nov. is most similar to M. kristenseni, M. ramoli and M. serratus. The new species differs from M. kristenseni mainly through a different shape of egg pr...

In 31 samples of mosses and lichens collected in the Argentinean province of Río Negro, 657 tardigrades, 53 exuviae and 219 free-laid eggs were found. In total, 20 species were identified: Diphascon chilenense, Dip. mitrense, Echiniscus bigranulatus, Ech. corrugicaudatus, Ech. merokensis merokensis, Ech. testudo, ebesuncus mollispinus, Hypsibius co...

Pollen- and non-pollen-palynomorphs (NPP) analytical studies of the northwestern part of Spitsbergen were conducted between 1988 and 1991. As well as pollen from local native flora and more dispersed species, some well preserved remains of tardigrada exuvia, buccal tubes and eggs were found. This study reviewed the remains of at least six tardigrad...

The diversity and distribution of the tardigrades in South America are rather poor and selective, as is information about their feeding behaviour and diet. To date, only ca. 210 tardigrade taxa have been reported from the region of South America. In the present paper, we provide an update of the distribution of the genus Milnesium in South America...

This monograph describes the global records of marine water bears (Phylum Tardigrada). We provide a comprehensive list of marine tardigrades recorded from around the world, providing an up-to-date taxonomy and a complete bibliography accompanied by geographic co-ordinates, habitat, substrate and biogeographic comments. A link is provided to an on-l...

This is an interactive map of marine tardigrade records published in peer reviewed literature. It was created with Google Fusion Tables. It is based on Kaczmarek et al. (2015), but it is continually updated as new marine records are published.

In this paper we provide the first record of the eutardigrade Dactylobiotus parthenogeneticus Bertolani, 1982 from Mexico (North America). Our report increases the range of this species and the number of tardigrade species known from Mexico to 43 taxa.

The genus Milnesium Doyère, 1840 is known from many localities, from the Antarctic through tropical and temperate to the Arctic regions. Since the nominal species of genus was recently redescribed many new records and species have been reported from numerous localities throughout the world. Currently, the genus Milnesium comprises 25 valid taxa. Sp...

There are 197 species and subspecies of marine tardigrades described out of a total of 1220 currently known species in the phylum. This includes one change to the Degma et al. (2009-2014) checklist for the genus Angursa, as discussed here. Thus, marine tardigrades make up only 16% of currently known species. The marine tardigrades include all membe...

Argentina, located in southern part of the South American continent, is the eighth largest country in the world and the second largest in Latin America. It is subdivided into 23 provinces and one autonomous city - Buenos Aires. The country hosts one of the greatest ecosystem varieties in the world and its biological diversity is among the world’s l...

In two moss and lichen samples collected in Romania, two new eutardigrade species were found. Milnesium dornensis sp. nov. belongs to the granulatum group and differs from most of other species in this group mainly by having a different claw configuration ([3-3]-[3-3]) and by some morphometric characters. Minibiotus diversus sp. nov. is very simila...

In three lichen samples collected from eastern part of Romania, three populations of Ramazzottius cf. oberhaeuseri (Doyère, 1840) infested by Pyxidium tardigradum Van der Land 1964 were found. In this short correspondence we present a first record of P. tardigradum in Romania and infestation rates in studied populations according to the different l...