Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026

Multi-unit Recording Methods to Characterize Neural Activity in the Locust (Schistocerca Americana) Olfactory Circuits
Published on: January 25, 2013
How locusts breathe
Jon F Harrison1, James S Waters, Arianne J Cease
1Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences Tempe, Arizona, USA. j.harrison@asu.edu
Abstract:
Insect tracheal-respiratory systems achieve high fluxes and great dynamic range with low energy requirements and could be important models for bioengineers interested in developing microfluidic systems. Recent advances suggest that insect cardiorespiratory systems have functional valves that permit compartmentalization with segment-specific pressures and flows and that system anatomy allows regional flows. Convection dominates over diffusion as a transport mechanism in the major tracheae, but Reynolds numbers suggest viscous effects remain important.
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