Tracheal System of an Insect

Question 1

What does insect exoskeleton do

Answer 1

Made of hared fibrous material

impermeable lipid layer to prevent water loss

Question 2

Insects adaptations to reduce water loss

Answer 2

Insects have a small surface area to volume ratio where water can evaporate from

waterproof exoskeleton

spiracles

Question 3

what are spiracles

Answer 3

holes which gases enter and water can evaporate from

can open and close to prevent water loss

Question 4

What does spiracles allow to diffuse in and out of

Answer 4

Oxygen and carbon dioxide enter and leave through spiracles

trachea is attach to openings

Question 5

What is a trachea

and what is strengthened

Answer 5

a network of internal tubes

trachea has chitin rings within them and keep open

Question 6

What do trachea branch into

Answer 6

smaller , deeper tracheoles

these extend into all tissues to deliver oxygen to respireing cells

Question 7

Three methods of moving gas in tracheal system

Answer 7

diffusion

mass transport

respire anaerobically

Question 8

Diffusion moving gas describe

Answer 8

gas can exchange via diffusion to respiring cells use up oxygen and produce co2, creating a gradient in the tracheoles to atmosphere

Question 9

Mass transport

Answer 9

when insects contract and relax abdominal muscles to move gases on mass

Question 10

respire anaerobically

Answer 10

When insect is in flight respire anaerobically to produce lactic acid

lowers water potential of cells therefore moves from the tracheoles into cells via osmosis

This decreases volume in the tracheoles as a result more air from the atmosphere drawn in

Question 11

Adaptations for efficient diffusion

Answer 11

Large number of fine tracheoles large surface area

walls of tracheoles are thin short diffusion distance for gases to diffuse in between spiracles and tracheoles

use oxygen and production of CO2 to maintain conc gradients