Effects of low pH environment on the collembolan Onychiurus yaodai
Ke X., Yang Y., Yin WY., Xue L.
The effects of pH on taxis, mortality and activation of MAP-kinase pathways in the collembolan Onychiurus yaodai were studied. The animals preferred to stay at pH 8. They were particularly stressed by a reduction in pH but were more tolerant of elevated pH. A short period of exposure to low pH led to phosphorylation of Drosophila homolog of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERKa) and the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (DJNK) in the animals, indicating activation of these signal transduction pathways. Our observations suggest that reduced environmental pH, even for a limited period, is potentially harmful to O. yaodai. © 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.