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Anoxia pp 167–188Cite as

Ecological and Experimental Exposure of Insects to Anoxia Reveals Surprising Tolerance

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Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 21))

Abstract

A growing number of studies have examined insect survival times during exposure to severe hypoxia and anoxia. Ecologically, terrestrial insects can be exposed to these conditions during immersion from terrestrial flooding, from encasement in ice during winter periods, and as a result of specialization to feed in decomposing material, or as internal parasites of vertebrates. Severe hypoxia has also been tested against a multitude of stored product and museum pests as an alternative to chemical treatment. Finally, severe hypoxia has been induced experimentally to examine physiological responses of a few model species. Together, these experiments have revealed a surprising tolerance of insects to severe hypoxia ranging from hours to weeks. In some cases, ecological studies have revealed apparent adaptation to flooding frequency and duration, while in other cases, the patterns of survival do not appear to correspond with likely abiotic challenges. This chapter seeks to summarize the body of experimental work on insects in hypoxia and to serve as a frame of reference for future experiments aimed at elucidating the adaptive significance of anoxia tolerance by members of the most diverse, ecologically important, and physiologically varied animals on the planet.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Kearney, 905 West 25th Street, Kearney, 68849, NE, USA

    William Wyatt Hoback

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  1. William Wyatt Hoback
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Correspondence to William Wyatt Hoback .

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  1. , Dept. for Earth and Environmental Resear, Ludwig-maximilians-University, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Alexander V. Altenbach

  2. , Geology & Geophysics Department, Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole Road 266, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Joan M. Bernhard

  3. Jerusalem, The Hebrew University Of, P.O.Box 1132, Efrat, 90435, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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Hoback, W.W. (2012). Ecological and Experimental Exposure of Insects to Anoxia Reveals Surprising Tolerance. In: Altenbach, A., Bernhard, J., Seckbach, J. (eds) Anoxia. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1896-8_10

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