Discontinuous gas exchange in insects: is it all in their heads?

Some insects display an intermittent pattern of gas exchange while at rest, often going hours between breaths. These discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGCs) are known to have evolved independently within five insect orders, but their possible adaptive benefit and evolutionary origin remain an enigm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American naturalist Vol. 177; no. 1; p. 130
Main Authors Matthews, Philip G D, White, Craig R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.2011
Subjects
Animals
Biological Evolution
Brain - metabolism
Ganglia, Invertebrate - physiology
Insecta - physiology
Respiration
Sleep
Water Loss, Insensible
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Summary:Some insects display an intermittent pattern of gas exchange while at rest, often going hours between breaths. These discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGCs) are known to have evolved independently within five insect orders, but their possible adaptive benefit and evolutionary origin remain an enigma. Current research is primarily concerned with testing three adaptive hypotheses: that DGCs originally evolved or are currently maintained to (1) limit respiratory water loss, (2) enhance gas exchange in subterranean environments, or (3) limit oxidative damage. These adaptive explanations fail to unite a range of apparently contradictory observations regarding the insects that display DGCs and the conditions under which they occur. Here we argue that DGCs are explained by circadian, developmental, or artificially induced reductions in brain activity. We conclude that this pattern results from the thoracic and abdominal ganglia regulating ventilation in the absence of control from higher neural centers, and it is indicative of a sleeplike state.
ISSN:1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/657619