How do aquatic insects breathe? Respiratory system in insects. Learn how insects breathe. What organ do insects that live in water breathe with?

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The process of respiration in terrestrial insects

In the simplest cases

Air is getting in all the time, as is getting rid of carbon dioxide. In such a constant mode, respiration is carried out in primitive insects and inactive species living in conditions of high humidity.

In arid biotopes

. In species that have moved to living in arid biotopes, the mechanism of respiration is somewhat complicated. In active insects with an increased need for oxygen, respiratory movements appear that force air into and expel it from there. These movements consist in tension and relaxation of the muscles, providing changes in its volume, which leads to ventilation and air sacs.

The video demonstrates the process of breathing in a praying mantis

The work of closing devices reduces the loss of water in the process of breathing. (video)

During respiratory movements, they move away from each other and approach each other, and in Hymenoptera they also make telescopic movements, that is, the rings are drawn into each other during “exhalations” and straighten out during “inspirations”. At the same time, the active respiratory movement, which is caused by muscle contraction, is precisely “exhalation”, and not “inhalation”, in contrast to humans and animals, in which the opposite is true.

The rhythm of respiratory movements can be different and depends on many factors, for example, on temperature: in the Melanoplus filly at 27 degrees, 25.6 respiratory movements per minute are performed, and at 9 degrees there are only 9. Before many intensify their breathing, and during it inhalations and exhalations often stop. At honey bee at rest, 40 respiratory movements are observed, and during work - 120.

Some researchers write that, despite the presence of respiratory movements, insects do not have typical inhalations and exhalations. We can agree with this, taking into account the peculiarities of a number of taxa. Thus, in locusts, air enters the body through the anterior vapors and exits through the posterior ones, which creates differences from "ordinary" breathing. By the way, in the same insect, with an increased content of carbon dioxide, air in can begin to move in the opposite direction: it can be drawn in through the abdominal and out through.

How do aquatic insects breathe?

In insects that live in water, breathing is carried out in two ways. It depends on what structure they have.

Many of the aquatic organisms are closed, in which they do not function. It is closed, and there are no “exits” to the outside in it. Breathing is done with - outgrowths of the body, which enter and branch abundantly. Thin tracheoles come so close to the surface that oxygen begins to diffuse through them. This allows some insects living in the water (and caddisflies, stoneflies, mayflies, dragonflies) to carry out gas exchange. Upon their transition to a terrestrial existence (turning into), they are reduced, and from a closed one it turns into an open one.

In other cases, the respiration of aquatic insects is carried out atmospheric air. Such insects have an open. They take in air through, floating to the surface, and then sink under water until it is used up. In this regard, they have two structural features:

Other features are also possible. For example, in a swimming beetle, they are located at the posterior end of the body. When she needs to "take a breath", she swims to the surface, takes vertical position"Upside down" and exposes the part where they are located.

The breathing of adult swimmers is interesting. They have developed, from the sides bending down and inward, towards the body. As a result, when floating to the surface with folded elytra, the beetle captures an air bubble that enters the subelytral space. They open there. Thus, the swimmer renews oxygen supplies. A swimmer of the genus Dyliscus can stay under water for 8 minutes between ascents, Hyphidrus for about 14 minutes, Hydroporus for up to half an hour. After the first frost under the ice, the beetles also retain their viability. They find air bubbles underwater and swim above them in order to "pick" them under.

In aquatic, the storage of air occurs between the hairs located on the abdominal part of the body. They are not wetted, so a supply of air is formed between them. When an insect swims under water, its ventral part appears silvery due to the air cushion.

In aquatic insects breathing atmospheric air, those small reserves of oxygen that they capture from the surface should be used up very quickly, but this does not happen. Why? The fact is that oxygen diffuses from the water into the air bubbles, and carbon dioxide partially escapes from them into the water. Thus, taking air under water, the insect receives a supply of oxygen, which replenishes itself for some time. The process is highly dependent on temperature. For example, the Plea bug can live in boiled water for 5-6 hours at warm temperatures and 3 days at cold temperatures.

In all of these cases, skin respiration occurs. Insects breathe the entire surface of the body (the first instars

How do insects breathe? and got the best answer

Answer from Elizabeth[guru]
link
How do insects breathe?
Insects don't have lungs. Their main respiratory system is the trachea. Insect tracheae are communicating air tubes that open outward on the sides of the body with spiracles. The finest branches of the trachea - tracheoles - permeate the entire body, braiding organs and even penetrating inside some cells. Thus, oxygen is delivered with air directly to the place of its consumption in the cells of the body, and gas exchange is ensured without the participation of the circulatory system.
Many insects living in water (aquatic beetles and bugs, larvae and pupae of mosquitoes, etc.) must rise to the surface from time to time to capture air, i.e. they also breathe air. The larvae of mosquitoes, weevils and some other insects, for the time of renewal of the air supply in the tracheal system, are “suspended” from below to the surface film of water with the help of non-wettable greasy hairs.
And aquatic beetles - hydrophiles (Hydrophilidae), swimmers (Dytiscidae) and bugs, for example, smoothies (Notonectidae) - breathing near the surface, carry away an additional supply of air with them under the water under the elytra.
In insect larvae living in water, in moist soil and in plant tissues, skin respiration also plays an important role.
The larvae of mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies and other insects, well adapted to life in water, do not have open spiracles. Oxygen in them penetrates through the surface of all parts of the body where the covers are thin enough, especially through the surface of leaf-shaped outgrowths pierced by a network of blindly ending tracheae. The larvae of mosquitoes (Chironomus) also have cutaneous respiration, the entire surface of the body. Source: link

Answer from DOLFINA[guru]
Insects do not have lungs, and their body is supplied with oxygen through microscopic pores in the chitinous shell. The chitinous shell is a kind of distributed lung. The breathing of insects resembles the breathing of mammals, their tracheal tubes are rapidly compressed and unclenched, providing a 50% renewal of oxygen within one second (such, for example, is the indicator of a person performing moderate-intensity exercise
In insects, the respiratory organs are represented by tracheae, which begin with holes - spiracles, through which air enters the trachea and, along their branches, into individual cells. The openings of the spiracles are located on the lateral surfaces of the chest and abdomen. The opening and closing of the spiracles is regulated by a special locking device. Ventilation of the trachea is facilitated by contraction of the abdomen. Insects living in the water - water beetles and bugs - periodically rise to the surface of the water to store air. Air is captured by the hairs of the limbs. The larvae of many aquatic insects breathe oxygen dissolved in water. In a dragonfly larva that lives in water bodies, respiration occurs due to the circulation of water in the hindgut.

Answer from Z.O.Ya[guru]
Many insects breathe in a very unusual and interesting way. If you look closely at their abdominal cavity, you can see many small holes, or pores. Each of these pores is an entrance to a tube called the trachea. It works just like a human breathing tube, or windpipe! Thus, insects breathe in the same way as we do, with the only difference being that they have abdominal cavity hundreds of breathing tubes may be located. For such small creatures as insects, these tubes do not take up much space. But can you imagine what would happen if humans had the same respiratory system? The rest of the organs would hardly have enough space!

Answer from Evsyukov Alexander[guru]
What a horror! Holes in chitin, examine the abdominal cavity ... Do you have any idea what you are talking about? In insects, the ectodorm (i.e., the outer integument) is formed into the invagination of the body in the form of branching tubes, called trachea. The tracheal openings are usually located on the sides of the body. In many beetles, they are mainly in the back. In wasps and bees, one pair of triplets is located in the head, others are dispersed throughout the body. The winding ends with the smallest tubes - tracheoles, which are filled with liquid. The blood of insects is practically incapable of carrying oxygen, so the tracheoles are suitable for internal organs. Large tracheas have rings that give them rigidity, so they are not capable of contraction and the movement of gases in them is not forced. Some larvae that offend in the water have a so-called. gills, but the question of their participation in respiration is rather controversial. Many consider them organs that maintain salt balance.

Answer from User deleted[active]
All living creatures must breathe in order not to die. The process of breathing is simply breathing in air for the purpose of obtaining oxygen and exhaling waste products. The air that we exhale no longer contains oxygen, there is more carbon dioxide and water vapor. The oxygen we breathe is needed to “burn” certain foods so that the body can digest them. Waste, including water vapor and carbon dioxide, is partially destroyed by the body, and partially exhaled. The simplest form of respiration is probably found in jellyfish and most worms. They do not have respiratory organs at all. Oxygen dissolved in water is absorbed through their skin, and dissolved carbon dioxide is expelled to the outside in the same way. That's all that can be said about their breathing. Earthworms - creatures with a more complex structure - have a special fluid - blood, which carries oxygen from the skin to the internal organs and carries carbon dioxide back. By the way, frogs sometimes also breathe in this way, using the skin as a respiratory organ. But she also has lungs, which she uses in case of lack of oxygen. Many insects breathe in a very unusual and interesting way. If you look closely at their abdominal cavity, you can see many small holes, or pores. Each of these pores is the entrance to a tube called the trachea. It works just like a human breathing tube, or windpipe! Thus, insects breathe in the same way as we do, with the only difference being that hundreds of breathing tubes can be located in their abdominal cavity. For such small creatures as insects, these tubes do not take up much space. But can you imagine what would happen if humans had the same respiratory system? The rest of the organs would hardly have enough space! By the way, the rate of breathing (that is, how often we inhale air) largely depends on the size of the creature itself. The larger the animal, the slower it breathes. For example, an elephant inhales about 10 times per minute, and mice about 200!

In insects, it is the most accurate reflection of their lifestyle. Since these creatures are always above the ground, they breathe exclusively thanks to the tracheae, which are much more developed in them than in other inhabitants of our planet. In fairness, it is worth highlighting that there are some superclasses of insects that live in the aquatic environment, or often go there. In this case, the respiratory system of insects is represented by gills. However, these are extremely rare this class, therefore we will examine them also very briefly. Well, let's move on to a more detailed study of this section of biology.

Total information

So, the respiratory system in insects appears to us in the form of trachea. Numerous branches emanate from them, which spread to all vital organs and systems of the body. The whole body, with the exception of the head (that is, the thoracic region and abdomen) is covered with exit holes - spiracles. They form the tracheal system, thanks to which most insects can breathe through the surface of their body.

It is worth noting that these spiracles are reliably protected from environmental irritants by special valves. They quickly react to the flow of air due to well-developed muscles. It is also important to know that spiracles are found on the sides of each body segment. The size of their holes is adjustable, due to which the tracheal lumen changes.

Ventilation process

To understand thoroughly how insects breathe, it is important to first understand that each tracheal system that is located in the body is always ventilated. The necessary air exchange occurs due to the fact that the valves that are located along the body, roughly speaking, open and close according to a certain schedule, that is, coordinated. For example, consider how a similar process occurs in locusts. During the entry of air, the anterior 4 spiracles open (among them two thoracic and two abdominal anterior). At this time, all the others (6 rear) are in the closed position. After air has entered the body, all spiracles close, and then the opening occurs in the following sequence: 6 rear ones open, and 4 front ones remain closed.

Basic breathing movements

Many years ago, scientists, looking at how insects breathe, noticed that their bodies contracted and unclenched in a certain way. This process turned out to be synchronous with the process of oxygen entering the body, and therefore it was concluded that many representatives of arthropods breathe precisely thanks to standard mechanical actions. Thus, the respiratory system in insects can function due to contractions of individual sections of the abdomen. This type of "breathing" is characteristic mainly of all terrestrial creatures. The same individuals who live partially or completely in the water are characterized by a reduction in some of the thoracic regions. It is also important to remember that it is muscle contraction that occurs on exhalation. When air enters the body, all the abdominal and thoracic segments of the insect, on the contrary, expand and completely relax.

The structure of the trachea

It is the trachea, as mentioned above, that represents the respiratory system of insects. For children, such a concept may turn out to be too complicated, so if you explain this biological process to your child, then first tell him what this very respiratory organ looks like. In almost all insects, each trachea is a separately existing trunk. It comes from the valve through which the spiracle passes. Branches emanate from the tracheal tube, which are presented in the form of a spiral. Each such branch is formed from a very dense cuticle, which is always securely fixed in its place. Thanks to this, the branches do not fall off, do not get tangled, therefore gaps are always preserved in the insect body through which oxygen and carbon dioxide can normally circulate, and without which life of this class is unreal.

How are flying insects different?

The respiratory system of insects that can fly looks a little different. In this case, their organisms are equipped with so-called air sacs. They are formed due to the fact that the tracheal tubes expand. Moreover, these extensions are much larger than the original width of the respiratory organ. Another one characteristic such bags - they do not have spiral seals, therefore they behave much more mobile inside the body of an insect. The expansion and contraction of air sacs in flying insects occur passively. During inhalation, the body increases, during exhalation, respectively, it decreases. In this process, only the muscles that control everything are involved. It is also important to note that the respiratory system in insects that are flying is designed so that they can capture for a longer period large quantity oxygen.

Insects that have gills

Arthropod inhabitants of water bodies, like fish, have gills and gill openings. In this case, the respiratory process is still carried out thanks to the trachea, however, this system in the body is closed. Thus, oxygen from the water enters the body not through the spiracles, but through the gill slits, after which it enters the tubes and spirals. If the insect is arranged in such a way that with the process of growing up it gets out of the aquatic environment, begins to live on the ground or in the air, then the gills become a vestige that disappears. The tracheal system begins to develop more actively, the tubes and spirals become stronger, and the breathing process no longer has anything to do with the gills.

Conclusion

We briefly examined what kind of respiratory system insects have, how it is characteristic, and what varieties of it can be found in nature. If you dig deeper, you can find out that the respiratory systems of arthropods of various categories are very different from each other, and most often their features depend on the habitat of certain species.

How do insects breathe, and do they breathe at all? The body structure of the same beetles differs significantly from the anatomy of any mammal. Not all people know about the features of the life of insects, because it is difficult to observe these processes due to the small size of the object itself. However, these questions sometimes come up - for example, when a child puts a captured beetle in a jar and asks how to ensure a long, happy life for him.

So do they breathe, how is the process of breathing carried out? Is it possible to close the jar tightly so that the bug does not run away, will it suffocate? These questions are asked by many people.

Oxygen, respiration and insect size

Modern insects do have small size. But these are exceptionally ancient creatures that appeared much earlier than warm-blooded ones, even before dinosaurs. In those days, the conditions on the planet were completely different, the composition of the atmosphere was also different. It's even amazing how they could survive millions of years, adapt to all the changes that have taken place during this time on the planet. The heyday of insects is behind, and in those days when they were at the peak of evolution, it was impossible to call them small.

Interesting fact: the fossilized remains of dragonflies prove that in the past they reached half a meter in size. During the heyday of insects, there were other exceptionally large species.

IN modern world insects cannot reach this size, and the largest are tropical individuals - a humid, hot climate, rich in oxygen, gives them more opportunities to thrive. Literally all researchers are convinced that it is precisely their respiratory system with its specific device features that prevents insects from flourishing on the planet in today's conditions, as it was in the past.

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Respiratory system of insects

When classifying insects, they are classified as a subtype of tracheal breathing. This already answers many questions. Firstly, they breathe, and secondly, they do this through the trachea. Arthropods are also classified as gill-breathers and chelicerae, the former being crayfish and the latter being mites and scorpions. However, let us return to the tracheal system, characteristic of beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies. Their tracheal system is extremely complex; evolution has polished it for more than one million years. The tracheae are subdivided into numerous tubes, each tube goes to a certain part of the body - in much the same way as the blood vessels and capillaries of more advanced warm-blooded, and even reptiles, diverge throughout the body.

The tracheae fill with air, but this is not done through the nostrils or oral cavity like in vertebrates. The trachea are filled with spiracles, these are the numerous holes that are on the body of the insect. Special valves are responsible for air exchange, filling these holes with air, and closing them. Each spiracle is supplied by three branches of the trachea, including:

Ventral for nervous system and abdominal muscles
Dorsal for dorsal muscles and spinal vessel, which is filled with hemolymph,
Visceral, which works on the organs of reproduction and digestion.

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The tracheae at their end turn into tracheoles - very thin tubes that braid each cell of the insect's body, providing it with an influx of oxygen. The thickness of the tracheol does not exceed 1 micrometer. This is how the respiratory system of an insect is arranged, due to which oxygen can circulate in its body, reaching every cell.

But only crawling or low-flying insects have such a primitive device. Flyers, such as bees, also have air sacs like those of birds in addition to lungs. They are located along the tracheal trunks, during flight they are able to contract and inflate again in order to provide maximum air flow to each of the cells. In addition, waterfowl insects have systems for retaining air on the body or under the abdomen in the form of bubbles - this is true for swimming beetles, silverfish, and others.

How do insect larvae breathe?

Most larvae are born with spiracles; this is true primarily for insects living on the surface of the earth. Aquatic larvae have gills that allow them to breathe underwater. Tracheal gills can be located both on the surface of the body and inside it - even in the intestines. In addition, many larvae are able to receive oxygen throughout the surface of their body.

People who do not know biology well usually do not understand the structure of invertebrates. Do they have blood and do they have a brain? Do insects breathe? The vast majority of living organisms require oxygen to live. It oxidizes the incoming substances - it divides them into structures that are simpler in structure. Plants also use oxygen in the process of respiration. Only anaerobic microorganisms and some multicellular animals do not need this element. However, they also breathe, they only use other organic or inorganic substances for oxidation.

World of small creatures

Insects are small organisms, the size of which does not exceed a few centimeters. Their structure does not allow to increase the volume and weight in modern conditions. The same cannot be said about the ancient arthropods that lived at the time of the dinosaurs and even earlier. In those days, the atmosphere was completely different: a different density of air, composition of gases. And the planet Earth itself weighed less. Dragonflies in the distant past reached sizes of more than half a meter.

How do insects breathe? And what prevented them from evolving to the size, for example, of a cat in modern conditions? Scientists believe that this is a kind of respiratory system.

Some of the taxonomy

Insects belong to the tracheal-breathing subtype (Tracheata). The type of arthropods also includes the subtypes of the gill-breathers (crustaceans) and chelicerae (spiders, scorpions, mites, etc.).

How do insects breathe?

The very name of the subtype speaks of the way of breathing. However, chelicerates breathe in a similar way. Insects acquired a complex tracheal system during evolution. Tracheas are internal tubes that carry air to the cells of the body. The tracheal system is not simple, because the trachea branches into a huge number of thin tubes. Each of them approaches a small group of cells. The tracheal network in insects is similar to the system blood vessels and capillaries in vertebrates.

Insect spiracles

Air enters the trachea through spiracles - special openings on the body of insects. Spiracles - stigmas - are located in pairs, usually on the sides of the body. Regulation of air intake is provided by special locking devices.

Three symmetrical large branches of the trachea usually depart from each spiracle:

Dorsal. Provides oxygen to the dorsal vessel with hemolymph and dorsal muscles.
Visceral. Serves the digestive system and reproductive organs.
Ventral. Serves the abdominal muscles and nerve chain.

Insect tracheoles

The endings of the trachea branch into very thin capillary tubes - tracheoles. Their diameter is less than 1 micrometer. Tracheoles branch out in the intercellular space, braiding the cells. They are a functional part of the tracheal system, ensuring the diffusion of oxygen into the cells of the body.

Additional education

How do most insects breathe? The respiratory organs are the trachea. However, some arthropods also have air sacs. This structure resembles the lungs or rather the air sacs of birds to increase the volume of air in the body. Swollen areas are found in fast-flying insects (bees, flies). They lie along the tracheal trunks. As a result of the contraction of the muscles of the body during flight, the air sacs are compressed and straightened, increasing the intake and output of air.

What organ do insects that live in water breathe with?

For example, a silver spider that lives in central Russia spends most of its life under water. He carries around a supply of air bubbles. So he did not have to change something in the respiratory system. Spiders have a similar tracheal system, like insects.

The swimming beetle is a common inhabitant of ponds middle lane Russia. He also breathes through tracheae. It periodically rises to the surface of the water, exposes the tip of the abdomen. Air enters under the elytra and is stored there. The water beetle carries a supply of oxygen with it.

The rest of the water beetles do the same. The whirlwind hunts on the surface of the pond, however, diving in danger, it also takes air with it. It looks like a shiny shell at the end of the abdomen.

Many water bugs also take in air in the form of a bubble from the surface. Like, for example, smoothness. It carries with it an air bubble attached to the end of its abdomen. Such a device helps him to swim even better.

Some water bugs (water scorpion, ranatra) have a special tube at the end of the abdomen. It consists of two grooved halves. The bug moves its abdomen - makes respiratory movements. Through the tube, air enters the spiracles.

Respiratory organs of larvae

Adult insects breathe through tracheae. Larvae have more diverse respiratory organs. Which insect larvae breathe through tracheae? Land representatives have a tracheal system. For example, butterfly caterpillars have 9 pairs of stigmas on the sides of the body. The first pair is on the chest, the rest are on the segments of the abdomen. Sometimes the second pair of spiracles is closed.

Most aquatic insects and their larvae also have a tracheal system. However, a huge number of representatives have formations similar to gills. These are outgrowths located on the places of spiracles. Oxygen enters the body through the thin covers of the tracheal outgrowths. This is how the larvae of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies breathe. Dragonfly larvae also have tracheal gills, but they are located in the intestine, that is, inside the body.

The bloodworm has filiform gills, but absorbs oxygen in large quantities throughout the entire surface of the body. In the body of a bloodworm there is always a supply of oxygen. For this reason, it can live in polluted water bodies.

The larvae of the cirrus mosquito (family thick-bodied mosquitoes) breathe oxygen dissolved in water, absorbing it with the entire surface of the body.

Respiratory organs of pupae

How do pupal stage insects breathe? It is believed that the third stage of insect development is motionless. However, even butterfly pupae can move their abdomens. A chrysalis ladybug nods his head, probably scaring off enemies. Insects of this stage breathe through tracheae.

Among the pupae of aquatic insects there are very mobile individuals. These are, for example, blood-sucking mosquitoes. Their pupae regularly rise to the surface of the water to suck in air through special tubes at the end of the abdomen.

The pupa of the pinnate mosquito is similar to the pupa of the common mosquito. But it does not rise to the surface of the water before the release of an adult. The respiratory organ is the integument of the body.

How do insects that do not have tracheae breathe? The respiratory organs of some primary wingless insects and larvae living in tissues are the skin. They are thin enough for the passage of gases. Carbon dioxide is also released through the cuticle, which is partially observed in insects that have tracheae.

Insects often move their abdomen - they make respiratory movements. The respiratory rate increases during flight. The respiratory muscles contract and relax, for example, in a bee at rest about 40 times per minute. During the flight several times more often.

In more primitive insects, the spiracles do not close. However, they are protected by hairs from debris. In more complex arthropods, stigmas are able to open and close to regulate air intake. In addition, part of the spiracles can serve for inhalation, and the other part for exhalation of air.

Interestingly, insect stigmas have different shape and color. They can be round, oval, triangular. Their color sometimes differs from that of the surrounding cuticle.

Thus, nature created the tracheal system before the appearance of the lungs. This system is well organized. The spiracle system provides a constant flow of air. Oxygen is carried to all cells of the body.