A welcome shortage of breath

摘要

The respiratory systems of animals must guarantee an efficient oxygen supply. But it seems that, in some insects, they have evolved to restrict the flow of oxygen too. Like most other animals, insects need to inhale oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. Oxygen fuels energy production in the cells' power plants, the mitochondria, and carbon dioxide is released as a waste product. On page 516 of this issue, Hetz and Bradley show that, contrary to what might be expected, the insect respiratory system may limit rather than assist the uptake of oxygen.