Mechanisms of insect respiration

Abstract

Insect respiration is characterized by the rapid transport of respiratory gases within the organism and efficient exchange with the external environment. The unique respiratory system of insects comprises a network of tracheal tubes that directly supply oxygen to the cells throughout the body of an insect, eliminating the need for blood as an intermediate oxygen carrier. The remarkable diversity of insects and their exceptionally high aerobic scope, possibly the highest in the animal kingdom, demonstrate the success of their respiratory strategy. Microfluidic technology, particularly in the domain of gas microfluidics, also stands to benefit from emulating the mechanical proficiency demonstrated by insects in manipulating fluids at the microscale. Despite this significance, current understanding of the fundamental principles underlying insect respiration is incomplete. This Review presents an overview of insect respiratory physics and identifies promising areas for future investigations. This Review summarizes the fundamental physical mechanisms of insect respiration, in which specialized tracheal networks enable highly efficient direct oxygen delivery and gas exchange. It discusses how these principles may inform bioinspired innovations in microscale gas transport technology.