The deeper the rounder: body shape variation in lice parasitizing diving hosts

Abstract

Seal lice, unique among insects, show remarkable adaptability to the extreme conditions of the deep sea. Evolving with their seal and sea lion hosts, they have managed to tolerate hypoxia, high salinity, low temperature, and elevated hydrostatic pressure. Given the diving capabilities of their mammalian hosts, which can reach depths of hundreds to thousands of meters, our study examines the morphological variation among closely related seal lice species infesting hosts with different maximum diving depths. In particular, our research reveals a significant morphological difference between lice associated with regular and deep-diving hosts, where lice from deep-diving hosts tend to be rounder. This could be an adaptation to withstand the high hydrostatic pressures found in the deep ocean. The rounded shape optimizes the louse’s ability to withstand external pressure by redistributing it over a larger ventral/dorsal plane. This in turn minimizes the internal energy required to support body deformations, thereby increasing the louse’s resilience in the deep sea environment.