Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
Volume 219, Issue 16, Pages 2423-2425Publisher
COMPANY OF BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.135129
Keywords
Respiratory gas exchange; Submersion; CT scan; Scaling; Orthoptera
Categories
Funding
- Company of Biologists travel grant
- South African National Research Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The discontinuous gas exchange (DGE) pattern of respiration shown by many arthropods includes periods of spiracle closure (C-phase) and is largely thought to serve as a physiological adaptation to restrict water loss in terrestrial environments. One major challenge to this hypothesis is to explain the presence of DGE in insects in moist environments. Here, we show a novel ecological correlate of the C-phase, namely, diving behaviour in mesic Paracinema tricolor grasshoppers. Notably, maximal dive duration is positively correlated with C-phase length, even after accounting for mass scaling and absolute metabolic rate. Here, we propose that an additional advantage of DGE may be conferred by allowing the tracheal system to act as a sealed underwater oxygen reservoir. Spiracle closure may facilitate underwater submersion, which, in turn, may contribute to predator avoidance, the survival of accidental immersion or periodic flooding and the exploitation of underwater resources.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available