生物多样性 ›› 2025, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (2): 24406.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2024406  cstr: 32101.14.biods.2024406

• 综述 • 上一篇    下一篇

缓步动物多样性、分布特征和生态功能研究进展

陈丁松1,2(), 刘子恺1,2(), 贺子洋1,3(), 陈伟东1,2,*()()   

  1. 1.福建师范大学湿润亚热带生态-地理过程教育部重点实验室, 福州 350007, 中国
    2.福建师范大学地理科学学院、碳中和未来技术学院, 福州 350007, 中国
    3.Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
  • 收稿日期:2024-09-08 接受日期:2024-11-06 出版日期:2025-02-20 发布日期:2025-02-26
  • 通讯作者: *E-mail: wd_chen@fjnu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金(42377288);福建省中青年教师教育科研项目(JAT241013)

Advances in tardigrade diversity, distribution characteristics and ecological functions

Chen Dingsong1,2(), Liu Zikai1,2(), He Ziyang1,3(), Chen Weidong1,2,*()()   

  1. 1 Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
    2 School of Geographical Sciences, School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
    3 Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
  • Received:2024-09-08 Accepted:2024-11-06 Online:2025-02-20 Published:2025-02-26
  • Contact: *E-mail: wd_chen@fjnu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(42377288);Fujian Provincial Education Research Projects for Young and Middle-Aged Teachers(JAT241013)

摘要:

缓步动物又被称为水熊虫, 栖息在海洋、淡水和陆地生态系统的各种环境中, 是微型动物群落的重要组成部分, 以对极端环境极强的适应能力而闻名。缓步动物在微食物网中占据了不同的营养级, 预示着它们具有重要的生态功能。近年来, 缓步动物的多样性、鉴定方法和生理、生态特征等研究已经取得了一定进展, 但缺乏系统总结。本文梳理了近30年国内外缓步动物研究成果, 借助文献计量分析, 系统总结了缓步动物在新种发现、鉴定方法、分布特征和生态功能等方面的研究进展。主要包括: (1)至2024年, 全球已记录的缓步动物共1,488种, 它们在水生和陆地环境中广泛存在, 包括苔藓、土壤、海洋、极地、城市等潮湿环境, 并不断有新种被发现。(2)缓步动物鉴定方法以个体形态鉴定为主, 缺乏标准的分子生物学研究手段, 极大限制了其分类学研究的发展。(3)总结了淡水和海洋生态系统中缓步动物的分布特征, 阐述了缓步动物应对全球变化(如气候变暖、大气氮沉降等)表现出的独特响应机制。(4)初步梳理了缓步动物在食物网中的生态功能, 包括与其他微型动物及微生物的互作关系。最后, 建议未来关注三个研究方向: (1)发展适用于缓步动物的分子生物学研究方法; (2)探索不同生态系统类型、大空间、长时间尺度上缓步动物分布特征及其驱动因素; (3)阐明它们在微食物网中的位置及其生态功能。

关键词: 缓步动物, 分布特征, 生态功能, 食物网, 文献计量

Abstract

Background: Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears, are microscopic invertebrates inhabiting diverse environments across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. As essential components of microfauna communities, they are renowned for their extraordinary extremotolerant adaptability and occupy multiple trophic levels within micro-food webs, indicating their significant ecological roles. Despite significant advancements made in understanding tardigrade biodiversity, identification methodologies, physiological and ecological traits recently, a comprehensive summaries remains lacking.

Bibliometric analyses & Perspective: Through bibliometric analyses of global tardigrade research over the past three decades, this review systematically summarizes the research progress in the new species discovery, identification methods, distribution characteristics, and ecological functions of tardigrades. The primary findings encompass: (1) Up to 2024, 1,488 documented tardigrade species inhabit a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including moss, soil, marine environments, polar regions, and even anthropogenic habitats, with new species being continuously discovered. (2) Current identification methods remain predominantly morphology-based, while standardized molecular tools for phylogenetic resolution are critically underdeveloped, severely constrain taxonomic advancements. (3) We describe characteristics in aquatic ecosystems and unique adaptive mechanisms to global change stressors including climate warming and atmospheric nitrogen deposition. (4) Preliminary summaries reveal their ecological roles in micro-food webs through interactions with meiofauna and microbial communities.

Future prospects: We propose three critical research priorities: (1) Emphasizing the need to improve molecular biology research methods; (2) Exploring the distribution characteristics across different ecosystems on large spatial and long-term temporal scales; (3) Elucidating their position in micro-food webs and ecological functions.

Key words: tardigrade, distribution characteristics, ecological function, food web, bibliometric analyses