STUDY OF THE RESISTANCE OF A MODELED CLOSED ECOSYSTEM AND CHAINS OF ITS
COMPONENTS IN MICROGRAVITY (AKVARIUM)
Research Area: Animal Biology – Invertebrates
Expedition(s): 11- 17
Principal Investigator(s): ● Vladimir N. Sychev, PhD, Institute of Medical and Biological
Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The Study of the Resistance of a Modeled
Closed Ecosystem and Chains of its
Components in Microgravity (Akvarium)
examines the impact of spaceflight factors on
dormant embryos of lower aquatic
crustaceous organisms (Daphnia magna,
Streptocephalus torvicornis, Eucypris species,
etc.) in the diapause and the larval stages and
capable of remaining in cryptobiosis (an
ametabolic state of life entered by an
organism in response to adverse
environmental conditions) for an extended
period of time.
EARTH BENEFITS
The results obtained may also be important for
the ecology of terrestrial communities. The
existence of such a capability significantly
changes the understanding of the role of the maternal effect in microevolutionary processes in
bodies of water. If such a phenomenon is observed with respect to other stress factors typical
on the Earth’s surface, such as ultraviolet radiation, then the properties of diapause embryos
on dry land and at the bottom of bodies of water will be different, as will their capability to
fight against something specific after reactivation.
SPACE BENEFITS
The experiment results enable data to be obtained on the impact of spaceflight conditions on
the resilience of the functioning of a closed ecosystem and on the growth and development of
individual organisms that are components of the autotrophic and heterotrophic links of the
closed ecosystem.
RESULTS
The results obtained made it possible to hypothesize that exposure on the International Space
Station (ISS) acted on the dry D. magna embryos as a stress factor, weakening their vital
activity. This manifested as both a decrease in reactivation effectiveness and a change in the
dynamic of the average sizes of specimens capable of hatching, which took the form of the
Eggs of freshwater crustaceans (species Daphnia
magna) after exposure on board the International
Space Station. Roscosmos image.