Bdelloid rotifers

Rotifers are microscopic animals common in freshwater environments all over the world. They are sometimes called wheel animals. The bdelloid species living in Antarctica have two rotating wheels of cilia on their heads. The cilia create currents in the water that direct food into their mouths.

Mount Erebus is a very dry environment. Bdelloid rotifers deal with this by rapidly dehydrating themselves and remaining dormant in this state until there’s enough water for them to rehydrate.

Rotifers are found in the moss beds at Tramway Ridge.

Transcript

Voiceover 

Rotifers are microscopic organisms that live in freshwater. They can withstand extreme environments, including Antarctica’s icy ecosystems.  

The rings of cilia in their corona create currents of water that draw food into their mouths. 

Rotifers live in Antarctic moss beds, algal mats and soil. They are also among the tiny, native microorganisms that help to process wastewater at Scott Base.  

Acknowledgements 

Brad Lawson, Antarctica New Zealand 

Coloured micrograph of rotifer, Frank Fox. CC BY-SA 3.0 DE 
Coloured footage of rotifer under microscope, Andrei Savitsky. CC BY 4.0 
Footage of the Scott Base wastewater plant, courtesy of Carol Brieseman and Dianne Christenson 
Carol Brieseman and Dianne Christenson visited Antarctica with support from the Antarctica New Zealand Community Engagement Programme