1. Respiration patterns of resting wasps (Vespula sp.)
- Author
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Käfer, Helmut, Kovac, Helmut, and Stabentheiner, Anton
- Subjects
Infrared Rays ,Physiology ,Respiration ,fungi ,Wasps ,Ventilation movement ,Temperature ,Wasp / Vespula / Respiration patterns / Ventilation movement / Resting metabolism / Temperature ,Videotape Recording ,macromolecular substances ,Carbon Dioxide ,Motor Activity ,Wasp ,Article ,Respiration patterns ,Resting metabolism ,Species Specificity ,Insect Science ,Animals ,Vespula ,Basal Metabolism ,Body Temperature Regulation - Abstract
Graphical abstract Highlights ► Wasps breathe discontinuously up to high temperatures despite a high resting metabolism. ► At similar respiration frequencies wasps release more CO2 than many other insects. ► Wasp respiration is always accompanied by abdominal respiration movements (pumping). ► Abdominal pumping is often accompanied by leg, wing and body movements. ► Wasps enhance efficiency of gas exchange via length and type of respiration movements., We investigated the respiration patterns of wasps (Vespula sp.) in their viable temperature range (2.9–42.4 °C) by measuring CO2 production and locomotor and endothermic activity. Wasps showed cycles of an interburst–burst type at low ambient temperatures (Ta 31 °C, CO2 emission became cyclic. With rising Ta they enhanced CO2-emission primarily by an exponential increase in respiration frequency, from 2.6 mHz at 4.7 °C to 74 mHz at 39.7 °C. In the same range of Ta CO2 release per cycle decreased from 38.9 to 26.4 μl g−1 cycle−1. A comparison of wasps with other insects showed that they are among the insects with a low respiratory frequency at a given resting metabolic rate (RMR), and a relatively flat increase of respiratory frequency with RMR. CO2 emission was always accompanied by abdominal respiration movements in all open phases and in 71.4% of the flutter phases, often accompanied by body movements. Results suggest that resting wasps gain their highly efficient gas exchange to a considerable extent via the length and type of respiration movements.
- Published
- 2013
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