The ecology and electrophoretic analysis of the damselfly,Argia vivida hagen,living in a geothermal gradient

The ecology and electrophoretic properties of a damselfly, Argia vivida Hagen, inhabiting a geothermal gradient were studied. Monthly sampling of five sites revealed nymphal colonization along a 15–40°C thermal gradient; greatest densities occurred between 15–27°C. An electrophoretic analysis of proteins suggest that nymphs were adapted to a wide range of temperatures which was evidenced by differential activity of four enzyme systems (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, leucine aminopeptidase, and tetrazolium oxidase). Evidence suggests the nymphs acclimated to different temperatures by altering the structure of important isozymes and expressed certain genetic features characteristic of individuals naturally found at a given temperature.Published with the approval of the Director of the University of Idaho Agriculture Experiment Station as Research Paper No. 78612.