Kategorie: News
Newly discovered species of tardigrade named after Minister President Kretschmann
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, live in seawater, freshwater, and on land. These tiny, eight-legged creatures are known for their extraordinary ability to survive extreme environmental conditions, even in the hostile deep sea. They can be found in all the world's oceans, from shallow waters to the abyssal zone, proving how diverse and adaptable these microorganisms are.
A new species was recently discovered in the Black Forest. Although this particular species of tardigrade has nothing to do with us divers, we would like to report on the discovery made by our esteemed biologist Ralph Schill:
"When hiking through the Black Forest National Park, you encounter many animal and plant species. But few venture to look into the microcosm. Fascinating microorganisms live in tiny moss cushions on silver fir trees or on stones on the forest floor: mites, rotifers, nematodes – and even tardigrades.
I have been searching for traces of them here since 2016. We have already identified 28 different species of tardigrades – including a completely new one: Ramazzottius kretschmannii. Yesterday, it was presented live for the first time in the national park – in honor of Minister President Winfried Kretschmann of Baden-Württemberg, who personally presented the discovery. It was a great event."
With the discovery of Ramazzottius kretschmanni, the number of known tardigrade species in Germany has grown to 99 – 91 on land and 8 in the sea. Of these, 80 live in Baden-Württemberg alone. Worldwide, just under 1,500 species have been described so far. Schill will continue to search for tardigrades in the Black Forest National Park – and he is sure he will find even more. “Whether they are known or new species, we will see.”
Bear-strong abilities
Tiny, with bear-strong abilities and still mysterious even to researchers: a scientific discovery from the Black Forest honors the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg and his commitment to species protection and biodiversity. The new tardigrade species Ramazzottius kretschmanni was presented at the National Park Center in Ruhestein. Prof. Ralph Schill, zoologist at the Institute for Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems at the University of Stuttgart, first identified and scientifically described it together with Prof. Roberto Guidetti from the University of Modena and his team.
Minister President Winfried Kretschmann learned about the new tardigrade species named after him.
“I am very pleased about this honor. Like all protected areas, the national park is particularly close to my heart. And preserving biodiversity is one of the most important tasks we have as humanity. This is how we can secure the future of our planet,” said Minister President Winfried Kretschmann. “As a biologist, it is of course a great honor for me to be immortalized in the nomenclature of biological species. Every living creature is important for our planet – no matter how small. This can also be seen in the fact that tardigrades have been around much longer than humans and can withstand extreme environmental conditions. This makes tardigrades true wonders of nature.”
Research focus on tardigrades
Tardigrades are the only known multicellular organisms that have survived space flight without a protective suit – and subsequently reproduced completely normally on Earth. “They owe this to their fascinating abilities, which allow some species to shrink into a barrel shape under extreme conditions, enabling them to survive temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius as well as down to -200 degrees,” explains Schill, one of the leading international tardigrade experts, who has been researching the tiny eight-legged creatures for many years.
The creatures, which otherwise resemble soft gummy bears, look like crumpled vacuum cleaner bags in this state – and can survive for more than 20 years. When conditions improve, they can then awaken to new life within 30 minutes, as if from a deep sleep. These survivalists colonize extreme habitats – from hot deserts and tropical rainforests to glaciers and the deep sea.
Since 2016, Schill's research on the species group tardigrades, scientifically known as Tardigraden, has been an important part of biodiversity studies in the Black Forest National Park. “So far, we have been able to identify 28 species there – including one that was found in Germany for the first time, and now even this completely new species for science,” Schill emphasizes. Why was it named after Kretschmann? "The national park team and I quickly agreed on that. With the establishment of the Black Forest National Park, the Minister President has made a decisive contribution to the protection of biological diversity – especially in the large area that we cannot see with the naked eye."
A pencil point is about 1 millimeter in size. At only 400 micrometers, the tardigrade is not even half that size and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Only under a scanning electron microscope can you see that these tiny eight-legged creatures resemble soft, plump gummy bears. To survive extreme conditions such as drought and frost, the tardigrade Ramazottius kretschmanni shrinks into a barrel shape.
Survivalists in the microcosm
Ramazzottius kretschmanni was first detected near the Ruhestein – both in the area of the up to 20-meter-high silver firs at the National Park Center and in the Wilder See protected forest area. The animals, which live on and in damp mosses, lichens, and dead wood, are only about 400 micrometers in size and have a striking reddish-beige, mottled coloration – unusual for tardigrades, which are usually colorless or inconspicuous. The number, arrangement, and shape of their powerful claws on their legs also differ from those of other tardigrade species.
Their occurrence in the treetops is remarkable: since the animals cannot actively climb up trunks, they reach lofty heights with the help of special strategies – for example, by being carried away by the wind when dry or transported to the treetops by birds with pieces of moss. Their eggs, which look like small raspberries, are laid individually. Both juveniles and adults feed on algae and mosses – and, like all tardigrades, can survive extreme drought and frost.
The newly discovered tardigrade species Ramazzottius kretschmanni lives in the Black Forest National Park in mosses on dead wood. Tardigrades have also been found on silver fir trees up to 20 meters high at the Black Forest National Park Center. They cannot climb up, but are carried by the wind in their dried-out state or transported by birds in pieces of moss to the treetops.
For Schill, this dormant state is the most fascinating and mysterious aspect of these tiny creatures. “We know many pieces of the puzzle, but the big picture is missing. It will take decades—if we ever manage it at all—before we can explain why tardigrades can halt their biological aging and preserve their lives,” says the zoologist.