Over tens of millions of years, the wingless insect Belgica antarctica has perfected its own cold tolerance to survive Antarctica's darkest and coldest months, occupying an exclusive niche as the continent's only endemic insect..

But temperatures in the polar regions are rising rapidly. This means that this acquired set of skills can, ironically, harm the very existence of the insect, putting it on the brink of extinction, according to Science Alert..

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Scientists from the US, UK and South Africa conducted laboratory experiments that showed that warmer winters affected the movement and energy stores of the insect, reducing its chances of survival..

The size of the body of a tiny insect does not exceed a centimeter. It spends most of its life in one of four larval states among damp thickets of moss and algae, eating greens and rotting waste.. But even its humble habitat freezes over during the harsh Antarctic winters.. Therefore, the insect has developed a strategy that allows it not to die in such conditions..

As a defense against injury caused by ice crystals penetrating its tissues, the midge slowly dries out.. Under the right conditions, individuals have a good chance of surviving the summer, even losing up to three-quarters of their moisture..

But these chances depend a lot on humidity and whether the creature gets moisture from water vapor or absorbs it directly from liquid water.. Even small changes in environmental conditions can have serious consequences for its survival..

In the Antarctic Peninsula, the temperature of microclimates, similar to those where the midge lives, fluctuates between -5 and 0 degrees Celsius. They are protected by a layer of snow and ice, the temperature outside can drop dramatically, but this will not affect the climate of the midge house.

As temperatures across the peninsula steadily rise by half a degree per decade, these relatively sheltered conditions could change.. Warmer temperatures could mean more rainfall, meaning more snow, thicker insulation, and less chance of winter freezing..

During the study, scientists collected insect larvae in the vicinity of the station on Anvers Island.. Then they were sent to a laboratory in the US, where they spent six months in conditions that are slightly different from the usual: from -5 to -1 degrees Celsius.. In addition, they were settled in various types of environment, from algae to moss..

The specimens were thawed in melt water and checked for signs of movement, tissue damage, and energy stores of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins..

It turned out that a small difference in temperature greatly affects the recovery of insects.. Under typical conditions, about half of the insects survived. Having warmed up only a few degrees, only a third survived. Energy stores also varied significantly, with more fat and protein stored in cold conditions than in warmer conditions..

Scientists note that the least active were the larvae that lived in warmer winter conditions.. It was probably due to the loss of energy.

“Because of the limited time before pupation after winter, and also because adult B.

antarctica lacks functional mouthparts, depletion of energy stores in late larval stages is likely to have irreversible effects on the energy available for reproduction,” the scientists said..

At the moment it is difficult to say what will happen if the temperature continues to rise further.. This can be either a minor inconvenience, or a blow that will lead insects to extinction..

Previously, scientists conducted a study that showed that rain will soon replace snowfall as the most common type of precipitation in the Arctic.. This will happen due to climate change and the heating of the northern polar region of our planet..