Hypothesis
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Decline of Insects: Is Dust Emission Conflicting with Insects’ Tracheal System?
Version 1
: Received: 5 September 2020 / Approved: 5 September 2020 / Online: 5 September 2020 (11:59:33 CEST)
How to cite: Thurm, U. Decline of Insects: Is Dust Emission Conflicting with Insects’ Tracheal System?. Preprints 2020, 2020090140. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202009.0140.v1 Thurm, U. Decline of Insects: Is Dust Emission Conflicting with Insects’ Tracheal System?. Preprints 2020, 2020090140. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202009.0140.v1
Abstract
Is the extensive decline of insects partially due to an insect-specific feature of their functional organization that is disadvantageous for living in an industrialized environment? The unique way in which gases are supplied in insect tissues is such a special trait. It exposes cells directly to the gas phase, via tracheae that end in micro-tubes, the tracheoles, which have diameters in the same range as particles of ultra-fine dust transported by air of industrialized countries. Number and volume of these particles – calculated to be inhaled by honeybees, e.g., – are indicative to locally impede O2-uptake and CO2-release and thus to restrain physiological activities.
Keywords
Insect decline; Tracheal system; Tracheole; Fine dust; Ultrafine particles
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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