QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online August 31, 2004
Journal of Experimental Biology 207, 3559-3567 (2004)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2004
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01189

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Henry, J. R. Articles by Harrison, J. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Henry, J. R. Articles by Harrison, J. F. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Plastic and evolved responses of larval tracheae and mass to varying atmospheric oxygen content in Drosophila melanogaster

Joanna R. Henry^* and Jon F. Harrison

Section of Organismal, Integrative and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874601, Tempe, AZ 85287-4601, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: joanna.henry{at}asu.edu)

Accepted 9 July 2004

Structural changes in the tracheal system during development have the potential to allow insects to compensate for varying oxygen availability. Despite possible compensation, oxygen level during development may also affect insect body size. We investigated how atmospheric oxygen level affects the dimensions of the main dorsal tracheae (DT) and masses of larval Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) reared for up to six generations in 10%, 21% or 40% O₂ at 25°C. Wandering-stage third-instar larvae were weighed every other generation, and the dimensions of the DT were measured. Hypoxia produced significantly lighter larvae after one generation of exposure, while hyperoxia did not affect larval mass. Atmospheric oxygen content did not significantly change the diameters of the anterior portions of the main tracheae; however, the posterior diameters were strongly affected. During the first generation of exposure, tracheal diameters were inversely proportional to rearing oxygen levels, demonstrating that developmental plasticity in DT diameters can partially (8–15%) compensate for variation in atmospheric oxygen level. After multiple generations in differing atmospheres and two further generations in 21% O₂, larvae had tracheal diameters inversely related to their historical oxygen exposure, suggesting that atmospheric oxygen can produce heritable changes in insect tracheal morphology.

Key words: Drosophila melanogaster, tracheae, hypoxia, hyperoxia, selection, hypertrophy

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Kaiser, C. J. Klok, J. J. Socha, W.-K. Lee, M. C. Quinlan, and J. F. Harrison Increase in tracheal investment with beetle size supports hypothesis of oxygen limitation on insect gigantism PNAS, August 7, 2007; 104(32): 13198 - 13203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. J. Greenlee, C. Nebeker, and J. F. Harrison Body size-independent safety margins for gas exchange across grasshopper species J. Exp. Biol., April 1, 2007; 210(7): 1288 - 1296. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Garland Jr and S. A. Kelly Phenotypic plasticity and experimental evolution J. Exp. Biol., June 15, 2006; 209(12): 2344 - 2361. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]