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Lee DJ, Matthews PGD. Oxygen extraction efficiency of the tidally-ventilated rectal gills of dragonfly nymphs. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231699. [PMID: 38264780 PMCID: PMC10806436 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Dragonfly nymphs breathe water using tidal ventilation, a highly unusual strategy in water-breathing animals owing to the high viscosity, density and low oxygen (O2) concentration of water. This study examines how well these insects extract O2 from the surrounding water during progressive hypoxia. Nymphs were attached to a custom-designed respiro-spirometer to simultaneously measure tidal volume, ventilation frequency and metabolic rate. Oxygen extraction efficiencies (OEE) were calculated across four partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) treatments, from normoxia to severe hypoxia. While there was no significant change in tidal volume, ventilation frequency increased significantly from 9.4 ± 1.2 breaths per minute (BPM) at 21.3 kPa to 35.6 ± 2.9 BPM at 5.3 kPa. Metabolic rate increased significantly from 1.4 ± 0.3 µl O2 min-1 at 21.3 kPa to 2.1 ± 0.4 µl O2 min-1 at 16.0 kPa, but then returned to normoxic levels as O2 levels declined further. OEE of nymphs was 40.1 ± 6.1% at 21.3 kPa, and did not change significantly during hypoxia. Comparison to literature shows that nymphs maintain their OEE during hypoxia unlike other aquatic tidal-breathers and some unidirectional breathers. This result, and numerical models simulating experimental conditions, indicate that nymphs maintain these extraction efficiencies by increasing gill conductance and/or lowering internal pO2 to maintain a sufficient diffusion gradient across their respiratory surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Lee
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T1Z4
| | - Philip G. D. Matthews
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T1Z4
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Veseli M, Rožman M, Vilenica M, Petrović M, Previšić A. Bioaccumulation and bioamplification of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors in aquatic insects. Sci Total Environ 2022; 838:156208. [PMID: 35618119 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Environmental fate of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds at the aquatic terrestrial boundary are largely unexplored. Aquatic insects connect aquatic and terrestrial food webs as their life cycle includes aquatic and terrestrial life stages, thus they represent an important inter-habitat linkage not only for energy and nutrient flow, but also for contaminant transfer to terrestrial environments. We measured the concentrations of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in the larval and adult tissues (last larval stages and teneral adults) of five Odonata species sampled in a wastewater-impacted river, in order to examine their bioaccumulation and bioamplification at different taxonomic levels. Twenty different compounds were bioaccumulated in insect tissues, with majority having higher concentrations (up to 90% higher) in aquatic larvae compared to terrestrial adults (reaching 88 ng/g for 1H-benzotriazole). However, increased concentration in adults was observed for seven compounds in at least one suborder (41% of the accumulated), confirming contaminants bioamplification across the metamorphosis. Both, bioaccumulation and bioamplification differed at various taxa levels; the order (Odonata), suborder (Anisoptera and Zygoptera) and species level. Highest variability was observed between Anisoptera and Zygoptera, due to the underlying differences in their ecology. Generally, Zygoptera had higher concentrations of contaminants in both larvae and adults. Additionally, we aimed at predicting effects of contaminant properties on bioaccumulation and bioamplification patterns using the commonly used physicochemical and pharmacokinetic descriptors on both order and suborder levels, however, neither of the two processes could be consistently predicted with simple linear models. Our study highlights the importance of taxonomy in studies aiming at advancing the understanding of contaminant exchange between aquatic and terrestrial food webs, as higher taxonomic categories include ecologically diverse groups, whose contribution to "the dark side of subsidies" could substantially differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Veseli
- Department of Biology, Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Marko Rožman
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Marina Vilenica
- Faculty of Teacher Education, Trg Matice hrvatske 12, 44250 Petrinja, Croatia.
| | - Mira Petrović
- Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ana Previšić
- Department of Biology, Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
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Gefen E, Matthews PG. From chemoreception to regulation: filling the gaps in understanding how insects control gas exchange. Curr Opin Insect Sci 2021; 48:26-31. [PMID: 34384915 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Insects coordinate the opening and closing of spiracles with convective ventilatory movements to produce considerable intraspecific and interspecific variation in gas exchange patterns. But fundamental questions remain regarding how these movements are coordinated and modulated by central and peripheral respiratory chemoreceptors, and where these chemoreceptors are located and how they function. Recent findings have revealed regions of the CNS that generate coordinated respiratory motor activity, while peripheral neurons sensitive to respiratory gases have been identified in Drosophila. Importantly, plasticity in structure and function of neural elements of respiratory control indicate the need for caution when generalizing the mechanistic basis for breathing in insects, and an adaptive explanation for breathing pattern variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran Gefen
- Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa- Oranim, Tivon, 3600600, Israel.
| | - Philip Gd Matthews
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Dittrich K, Wipfler B. A review of the hexapod tracheal system with a focus on the apterygote groups. Arthropod Struct Dev 2021; 63:101072. [PMID: 34098323 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2021.101072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Respiratory systems are key innovations for the radiation of terrestrial arthropods. It is therefore surprising that there is still a considerable lack of knowledge. In this review of the available information on tracheal systems of hexapods (with a focus on the apterygote lineages Protura, Collembola, Diplura, Archaeognatha and Zygentoma), we summarize available data on the spiracles (number, position and morphology), the shape and variability of tracheal branching patterns including anastomoses, the tracheal fine structure and the respiratory proteins. The available data are strongly fragmented, and information for most subgroups is missing. In various cases, individual observations for one species account for the knowledge of the entire order. The available data show that there are strong differences between but also within apterygote orders. We conclude that the available data are insufficient to derive detailed conclusions on the hexapod ground plan and outline the possible evolutionary scenarios for the tracheal system in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Dittrich
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Benjamin Wipfler
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany.
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Lee DJ, Matthews PG. How insects transition from water to air: Respiratory insights from dragonflies. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2021; 253:110859. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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de Pennart A, Matthews PGD. The bimodal gas exchange strategies of dragonfly nymphs across development. J Insect Physiol 2020; 120:103982. [PMID: 31747551 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Dragonfly nymphs are aquatic and breathe water using a rectal gill. However, it has long been known that the nymphs of many species appear to possess the ability to breathe air, either during their final instar when they leave the water prior to metamorphosis, or during periods of aquatic hypoxia. The aerial gas exchange associated with these activities has not been quantified. This study used flow-through respirometry to measure the rate of aerial CO2 release (V̇CO2) from dragonfly nymphs as a proxy for their aerial gas exchange, both across development and in response to progressive aquatic hypoxia. It examined a total of four species from two families (Libellulidae and Aeshnidae). In both families, the late-final instar nymphs developed functional mesothoracic spiracles, allowing them to breathe air by positioning their head and thorax above the water's surface. While breathing air in this position, the nymphs could also ventilate their submerged rectal gill. Thus, during bimodal gas exchange in normoxic water, it was calculated that aeshnid nymphs expelled 39% of their respiratory CO2 into the air through their spiracles, while libellulid nymphs expelled 56% into the air. Decreasing the aquatic PO2 to 2.5 kPa and then below 1 kPa increased the proportion of respiratory CO2 expelled into the air from 69% to 100%, respectively. Thus, bimodally breathing late-final nymphs can vary how they partition gas exchange between their spiracles and their gill depending on aquatic PO2. Aeshnid nymphs of all developmental stages were also found to use their rectal gill as an air-breathing organ; pre-final nymphs performing 'surface skimming' while late final nymphs aspirated air bubbles directly into their gill's branchial basket. Mass-specific rates of aerial V̇CO2 also increased as the nymphs approached metamorphosis. These findings indicate that aeshnid nymphs are capable of accessing aerial O2 across development using their rectal gill as an air breathing organ, while the aquatic nymphs of both aeshnid and libellulid dragonflies undergo a progressive shift towards using the atmosphere for respiration as they approach metamorphosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auguste de Pennart
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Philip G D Matthews
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Zhao J, Meng F, Yan S, Wu J, Liang Y, Zhang Y. Abdominal pumping involvement in the liquid feeding of honeybee. J Insect Physiol 2019; 112:109-116. [PMID: 30414970 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Honeybee drinking is facilitated by a "mop-like" tongue, which helps honeybees suck in the sucrose solution from the environment. However, the liquid-transport mechanism from the pharynx to the crop, especially the natural link between abdominal pumping and dipping behavior on the sucrose solution intake, remains obscure. A significant increase in abdominal pumping frequency is observed when honeybees drink the sucrose solution. Abdominal pumping exhibits a function other than respiration. This second function assists in driving the sucrose solution from the pharynx to the crop. We combine the experimental measurements using high-speed video and X-ray phase contrast imaging with theoretical modeling to investigate the effect of abdominal pumping in liquid feeding of honeybee. Experimental results show that a honeybee performs abdominal pumping in the abdomen at a faster rhythm during sucrose solution feeding than during other physiological activities. In addition, the period of abdominal pumping is in concordance with that of dipping cycles. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that the abdomen, which is comparable with a micro pump, changes its volume rhythmically. Such expansion reduces pressure in the abdomen, which also reduces pressure in the crop and helps propel the sucrose solution from the pharynx to the crop. Abdominal pumping can help honeybees improve their feeding efficiency and save foraging time. This research work reveals a specific feeding mechanism of insects fed on sucrose solution and opens a new way for the design of microfluidic pump.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieliang Zhao
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Fanyue Meng
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Shaoze Yan
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
| | - Jianing Wu
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Youjian Liang
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Yuling Zhang
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
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Matthews PGD, Greenlee KJ, Verberk WCEP. The limits of respiratory function: External and internal constraints on insect gas exchange. J Insect Physiol 2018; 106:153-154. [PMID: 29776581 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Philip G D Matthews
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kendra J Greenlee
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108-6050
| | - Wilco C E P Verberk
- Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Radboud University, Nijmegen
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