Diving insects boost their buoyancy bubbles

Underwater backswimmers use their haemoglobin to help them stay stationary while waiting for prey. Backswimmers (Notonectidae) are common diving insects found around the world that exploit the mid-water zone for predation - they breathe by using an air bubble collected at the surface. Here we show t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature (London) Vol. 440; no. 7090
Main Authors Matthews, P.D.G, Seymour, R.S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 2006
Subjects
air
Anisops deanei
aquatic insects
bubbles
buoyancy
gas exchange
hemoglobin
Notonectidae
oxygen
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Summary:Underwater backswimmers use their haemoglobin to help them stay stationary while waiting for prey. Backswimmers (Notonectidae) are common diving insects found around the world that exploit the mid-water zone for predation - they breathe by using an air bubble collected at the surface. Here we show that backswimmers achieve prolonged periods of neutral buoyancy by using oxygen stored in their haemoglobin to stabilize the volume of the bubble as they breathe from it. This enables them to maintain their position in the water column without continually swimming.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/441171a
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687