Thermal conductivity modulation as a mechanism of inducible thermotolerance in the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp.
Harikumar R Suma·Sandeep M. Eswarappa·T. Phanindra Sai·Srividhya Srinivasan·Arindam Ghosh·Md Noor Akhtar·Divya Vishnu
Abstract Many organisms, including tardigrades, can survive extreme conditions. However, the mechanisms underlying this extremotolerance remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate inducible thermotolerance in the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp., linked to its anhydrobiotic ‘tun’ state. While active tardigrades did not survive exposure to 45°C for 1 h, approximately 90% of those in the anhydrobiotic tun state did, and some even withstood temperatures up to 85°C. To explore the physical basis of this i