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Diversity in gas exchange and muscular activity patterns in insects studied by a respirometer‐actograph
Author(s) -
Tartes Urmas,
Kuusik Aare,
Vanatoa Alo
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
physiological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0307-6962
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3032.1999.00125.x
Subject(s) - respirometer , biology , insect , respiration , oxygen , respirometry , breathing , metabolic rate , ecology , anatomy , biochemistry , chemistry , endocrinology , organic chemistry
Summary Different events in insect gas exchange and muscular activity are described by a new system of automatic respirometers, a differential electrolytic microrespirometer‐actograph. This is very sensitive to volumetric changes caused by insect respiration and/or body movements. In this system, oxygen generation and its regulation are combined in the same current circuit. According to this principle, the oxygen consumed by the insect is continuously replaced by equal amounts of electrolytically produced oxygen. This simple laboratory‐made apparatus records simultaneously metabolic rate, the cyclicity of external gas exchange, rhythms of muscular ventilating and the pattern of other body movements, including abdominal pulsations not observable with the naked eye. The respirometer‐actograph described here is applicable also to the recording of the respiration of other terrestrial arthropods or other living organisms or tissues.