Patterns of Tracheal Compression in the Thorax of the Ground Beetle, Platynus decentis.

ABSTRACT: Insects breathe using a system of tracheal tubes that ramify throughout the body. Rhythmic tracheal compression (RTC), the periodic collapse and reinflation of parts of the system, has been identified in multiple taxa, but little is known about the precise dynamics of tube deformation cycles. It has been hypothesized that during RTC, compression occurs synchronously throughout the body, but specific kinematic patterns along the length of individual tracheae may vary. Tube collapse or reinflation that proceeds unidirectionally along the length of a tube may function as a pump to transport air, augmenting gas exchange. This study aims to characterize patterns of tracheal compression in one species of carabid beetle, Platynus decentis, to test the hypothesis of directional compression.

SUBMITTER: Hochgraf JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6302622 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature