Insect eggs exert rapid control over an oxygen-water tradeoff.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
Brandy Zrubek, H Arthur Woods

Abstract

In terrestrial environments, the exchange of respiratory gases exacts a water cost: obtaining oxygen or carbon dioxide requires losing water. Insect eggs should be especially sensitive to this tradeoff-because they are unable to forage for water, have high surface area-to-volume ratios, and experience large temperature-driven changes in oxygen demand. Previous work from our laboratory, on eggs of a common hawk-moth, Manduca sexta, has shown that, during development, metabolic rate and water loss rates rise in parallel. These correlative data suggest that eggshell conductance increases to accommodate increasing metabolic demand. Here, we test this idea experimentally by subjecting eggs of M. sexta to 15, 21 (normoxia) and 35% oxygen for 24h, while measuring rates of metabolism (as carbon dioxide emission) and water loss. Hypoxia depressed egg metabolic rates, but led to pronounced, rapid increases in water loss. By contrast, hyperoxia had no significant effect on metabolism or water loss. These data demonstrate that insect eggs actively participate in balancing oxygen gain and water loss, and that they use tissue oxygen status, or some correlate of it, as a cue for increasing eggshell conductance. Rapid control over conductance ...Continue Reading

References

Sep 1, 1997·Physiological Zoology·M D Kern, M W Ferguson
May 29, 2003·Journal of Insect Physiology·Abraham Addo-BediakoKevin J. Gaston
Aug 22, 2003·Nature·Alistair M Hetherington, F Ian Woodward
Sep 11, 2003·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Steven L Chown, Adrian L V Davis
May 26, 2004·The Journal of Experimental Biology·H Arthur Woods, Ryan I Hill
Mar 23, 2005·The Journal of Experimental Biology·H Arthur WoodsBrandy Zrubek

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Citations

Jul 5, 2011·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Joel G KingsolverJessica K Higgins
Jun 22, 2012·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Kristen A Potter, H Arthur Woods
Apr 5, 2013·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·James H MardenChristopher W Wheat
Jul 4, 2009·Journal of Insect Physiology·H Arthur Woods
Oct 6, 2009·The Journal of Experimental Biology·H Arthur WoodsJennifer N Smith

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