Phylogenomic analysis of cold and heat stress responses in ice-crawlers (Grylloblattidae)

Members of the genus Grylloblatta are notable for foraging at extremely cold temperatures on alpine snow fields and in ice caves. These thermal preferences are relatively constant among populations and species, suggesting that ice crawler physiology is highly conserved. On the other hand, other members of the family Grylloblattidae forage in a variety of thermal environments in northeastern Asia, including warm habitats in Japan and South Korea. Using comparative transcriptome sequencing, I characterize the gene regulatory response to heat and cold across the range of Gryloblatta, but also including species collectied from different environments in Asia. My results suggest that gene expression patterns are not different among Grylloblatta populations found in alpine and cave habitats, and similar gene networks are activated during both heat and cold stress. Comparison to several Asian species suggests that gene expression patterns do diverge across lineages and may be an important component in physiological differences observed among Grylloblattidae.