Meet the Buggers!

Meet the Buggers!

THE BUGGERS
Dr. Shin Goto, Natalie Harr, Dr. Richard Lee and Dr. Dave Denlinger (left to right)

We study one insect and its name is Belgica antarctica.  Not surprisingly, we are known as "The Buggers" here at Palmer Station.   In fact, this wingless fly is the southernmost, free-living insect in Antarctica and it's the largest animal that remains on land throughout the year.    

Photo by Dr. Richard E. Lee Jr.

The adults of Belgica antarctica live for only 10 days during the Antarctic summer.  Although they are the largest Antarctic land animal, they only measure 3-4 mm in length!

Photo by Dr. Richard E. Lee, Jr.

In its two-year life cycle, Belgica antarctica undergoes complete metamorphosis.  It spends most of its time in its larval stage (above).  

Drumroll PLEASE!

The Bugger Team....

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Dr. "Rick" Richard Lee 

This is Dr. Lee's 8th trip to the Antarctic.  He is a Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Miami University, Ohio.  He specializes in entomology and adaptations of cold-blooded animals to survive in winter and in polar regions.

Dr. Dave Denlinger

Dr. Denlinger is a Distinguished University Professor at Ohio State University.  Work in his home laboratory focuses on molecular physiology of insect overwintering.  This is his 4th trip to Antarctica, and he has also worked in Africa and Central America.  

Dr. Shin Goto

Dr. Goto is currently on the faculty of Osaka City University, Japan.  He was a previous postdoctoral fellow in the Denlinger laboratory at Ohio State.  His research focuses on insect overwintering and the function of clock genes. 

Miss Natalie Harr (Nature Nat)

Miss Harr is a first grade teacher in Mantua, OH and serves as the team's educational outreach coordinator.  With her master's degree in Biological Sciences, she is connecting her school district as well as 30 other districts nationally with current Antarctic research.

Field Collecting 

We travel to several local islands and collect samples of Belgica antarctica using simple tools.  

The wingless fly lives in the substrate between the soil and the rocks.   In some places the adults and larvae are abundant.  But in others, few or none can be found. 

As we collect Belgica, we see other plants and animals living on the islands.

Once we return to the station, we immediately get Belgica ready for experiments. 

Our Research

Our experiments this year focus in two areas.  First, we are trying to determine whether larvae survive the winter by freezing or by dehydrating.  A fifth member of our research team, Yuta Kawarasaki, will be here from February to May studying this question.  Secondly, we are investigating whether adults and larvae can use changes in the length of daylight through the year to time their preparations for winter survival.