School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
J Insect Physiol. 2011 Sep;57(9):1312-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.06.006. Epub 2011 Jun 21.
The insect tracheal system is an air-filled branching network of internal tubing that functions to exchange respiratory gases between the tissues and the environment. The light and electron-micrographs presented in this study show tracheae in the process of moulting, captured from the metathoracic hopping femur of a juvenile third instar locust (Locusta migratoria). The images provide evidence for the detachment of the cuticular intima from the tracheal epithelial cells, the presence of moulting fluid between the new and old cuticle layers, and the withdrawal of the shed cuticular lining through larger upstream regions of the tracheal system during moulting. The micrographs also reveal that the cuticular intima of the fine terminal branches of the tracheal system is cast at ecdysis. Therefore, the hypothesis that tracheoles retain their cuticle lining at each moult may not apply to all insect species or developmental stages.
昆虫气管系统是一个充满空气的分支管网，内部有管道，其功能是在组织和环境之间交换呼吸气体。本研究中呈现的光镜和电镜照片显示了正在蜕皮的气管，这些气管取自幼年三期蝗虫（Locusta migratoria）的后胸跳跃股骨。这些图像为以下事实提供了证据：表皮细胞从气管的内角质层上分离，新老角质层之间存在蜕皮液，以及在蜕皮过程中，脱落的角质内衬通过气管系统的较大上游区域被拔出。这些显微照片还表明，气管系统的细终末分支的内角质层在蜕皮时被去除。因此，关于气管在每次蜕皮时保留其角质内衬的假设可能并不适用于所有昆虫物种或发育阶段。
