Mercury (Hg2+) interferes with physiological adaptations to freezing in the arctic earthworm Enchytraeus albidus.

Freezing temperatures is an important stressor in the arctic regions and has a significant influence on the population dynamics and geographic distribution of terrestrial invertebrates. Toxic metals in the environment can interfere with protective cold-acclimation responses of organisms. It is therefore important to evaluate the combined effects of cold stress and environmental contaminants. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of Hg (HgCl2) on various physiological aspects of freeze-tolerance in the earthworm (Enchytraeus albidus). We measured the levels of the cryoprotectant glucose, the glycogen content (source of glucose molecules for cryoprotection and fuel for metabolism), and changes in the composition of membrane phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) as an indicator of lipid peroxidation. Freezing at -6 °C had no effect on survival in uncontaminated soil, however, survival of freezing in Hg contaminated soil was clearly reduced, especially at extended exposure times. Thus, the LC50 value in frozen soil decreased from 8.3 mg Hg kg-1 (when exposed for 17 days) to only 4.2 mg Hg kg-1 after 36 days' exposure indicating that combined effects of Hg and freezing became larger at prolonged exposure times. Hg caused a depletion of glycogen reserves (almost 50% at 12 mg kg-1 dry soil), but despite this effect worms were able to maintain a constant cryoprotectant level (about 0.12 mg glucose mg-1 dry weight) at all Hg concentrations. Hg had clear negative effects on the proportion of unsaturated PLFAs, which could be an indication of lipid peroxidation. Since a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the membrane is important for invertebrate freeze-tolerance, our results suggest that the negative effect of Hg on freeze-tolerance in E. albidus is related to degraded membrane functionality at low temperature.

Climate Change Helps Polar Invasives Establish and Flourish: Evidence from Long-Term Monitoring of the Blowfly Calliphora vicina.

The isolated sub-Antarctic islands are of major ecological interest because of their unique species diversity and long history of limited human disturbance. However, since the presence of Europeans, these islands and their sensitive biota have been under increasing pressure due to human activity and associated biological invasions. In such delicate ecosystems, biological invasions are an exceptional threat that may be further amplified by climate change. We examined the invasion trajectory of the blowfly Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy 1830). First introduced in the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands in the 1970s, it is thought to have persisted only in sheltered microclimates for several decades. Here, we show that, in recent decades, C. vicina has been able to establish itself more widely. We combine experimental thermal developmental data with long-term ecological and meteorological monitoring to address whether warming conditions help explain its current success and dynamics in the eastern Kerguelen Islands. We found that warming temperatures and accumulated degree days could explain the species' phenological and long-term invasion dynamics, indicating that climate change has likely assisted its establishment. This study represents a unique long-term view of a polar invader and stresses the rapidly increasing susceptibility of cold regions to invasion under climate change.

Little directional change in the timing of Arctic spring phenology over the past 25 years.

With the global change in climate, the Arctic has been pinpointed as the region experiencing the fastest rates of change. As a result, Arctic biological responses-such as shifts in phenology-are expected to outpace those at lower latitudes. 15 years ago, a decade-long dataset from Zackenberg in High Arctic Greenland revealed rapid rates of phenological change.1 To explore how the timing of spring phenology has developed since, we revisit the Zackenberg time series on flowering plants, arthropods, and birds. Drawing on the full 25-year period of 1996-2020, we find little directional change in the timing of events despite ongoing climatic change. We attribute this finding to a shift in the temporal patterns of climate conditions, from previous directional change to current high inter-annual variability. Additionally, some taxa appear to have reached the limits of their phenological responses, resulting in a leveling off in their phenological responses in warm years. Our findings demonstrate the importance of long-term monitoring of taxa from across trophic levels within the community, allowing for detecting shifts in sensitivities and responses and thus for updated inference in the light of added information.