Glossosoma nigrior (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae) respiration in moving fluid

Laboratory measurements of dissolved oxygen (DO) uptake by Glossosoma nigrior Banks were conducted in a sealed, recirculating flume under variable fluid flow velocities. Measurements were performed in similar water temperatures, DO concentrations and fluid flow velocities to field conditions in the stream where the larvae were obtained. Total oxygen uptake by both cased larvae and corresponding cases without larvae were quantified. An increased fluid flow velocity corresponded to an increased larval DO uptake rate. Oxygen uptake by the larval cases alone was not as sensitive to changes in the Peclet (Pe) number, the dimensionless ratio of advective to diffusive DO transport, as uptake by larvae themselves. The flux of DO to larvae and their cases was up to seven times larger in a moving fluid in comparison to non-moving fluid conditions in the proximity of larvae for 087, larvae typically remained in their cases. This indicates that oxygen delivery to the larvae at low Pe is insufficient to satisfy the respiratory demands of cased larvae.