Insect Physiology
Insect Physiology - Related Videos
01:47
Osmoregulation in Insects
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2019
Malpighian tubules are specialized structures found in the digestive systems of many arthropods, including most insects, that handle excretion and osmoregulation. The tubules are typically arranged in pairs and have a convoluted structure that increases their surface area. Malpighian tubules extend from the digestive tract, typically the area between the midgut and hindgut, into the hemolymph—a mixture of blood and interstitial fluid found in insects and other arthropods, as well as most...
10:19
Studying the Neural Basis of Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Insects
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Cited by 12 •
2011
We describe a method to record motor activity, timed to the electrically recorded tarsal contact signal in a tethered insect, walking on a slippery surface. This is used to study the neural basis of adaptive behavior under reduced influence of mechanical interaction between legs through the substrate.
09:00
Insect-controlled Robot: A Mobile Robot Platform to Evaluate the Odor-tracking Capability of an Insect
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Cited by 18 •
2016
The capability to localize an odor source is necessary for insect survival and is expected to be applicable to artificial odor-tracking. The insect-controlled robot is driven by an actual silkmoth and enables us to evaluate the odor-tracking capability of insects through a robotic platform.
07:42
A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects
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Cited by 37 •
2015
Flight in insects is influenced by a number of factors and the propensity to disperse is an important variable in understanding insect ecology and biological control strategies. We describe the construction and use of a simple, relatively inexpensive, and flexible flight mill for measuring parameters of tethered flight in insects.
08:30
Maintaining Laboratory Cultures of Gryllus bimaculatus, a Versatile Orthopteran Model for Insect Agriculture and Invertebrate Physiology
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Cited by 6 •
2022
This paper outlines basic methods to standardize important factors such as density, feed availability, hydration source, and environmental controls for the long-term rearing of laboratory cultures of the edible cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus.
FAQs
Tracheal respiration links the external environment to insect tissues through two coordinated structures: spiracles and tracheae. Spiracles provide openings, while tracheae form the internal network that carries air toward tissues. Studying this arrangement helps researchers relate organ-level design to tissue-level function and to how insects respond to environmental conditions.
Hormonal regulation coordinates growth, molting, and metamorphosis as connected developmental processes. Rather than treating these events as isolated changes, insect physiology examines how regulatory signals organize transitions across the life cycle. This framework allows biologists to connect developmental mechanisms with broader questions about behavior, reproduction, and adaptation.
Internal stability gives researchers a way to examine how insects maintain functioning while responding to environmental conditions. Linking these responses to cellular and organ-level mechanisms shows how physiology supports behavior, development, and reproduction. This perspective is especially relevant to studying adaptation and biodiversity across biological systems.
Researchers can interpret insect traits across linked levels, from cellular mechanisms to organs, then to behavior, development, and reproduction. This multilevel perspective prevents physiological observations from being isolated from whole-organism outcomes. It also helps explain how a specific body process contributes to ecological roles and responses to environmental conditions, supporting broader biological research.
Understanding insect physiology clarifies how body functions relate to ecological roles, including pollination and disease-vector activity. It also supports biodiversity studies by connecting physiological variation with adaptation. In this context, physiology provides more than an organ-level description: it helps biologists interpret how insects interact with ecosystems and why their functional diversity matters.
Physiological knowledge informs sustainable pest management by linking insect biology to agricultural strategies. The same research base contributes to biomedical research by improving understanding of insect processes. These applications depend on examining mechanisms of growth, development, reproduction, and environmental response, rather than treating insects only as agricultural problems.