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Entomology

Dartmouth College

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Full-Text Articles in Physiology

Direct Determination Of The Kinetics Of Oxygen Diffusion To The Photocytes Of A Bioluminescent Elaterid Larva, Measurement Of Gas- And Aqueous-Phase Diffusional Barriers And Modelling Of Oxygen Supply, G. S. Timmins, E. J. Bechara, H. M. Swartz Jul 2000

Direct Determination Of The Kinetics Of Oxygen Diffusion To The Photocytes Of A Bioluminescent Elaterid Larva, Measurement Of Gas- And Aqueous-Phase Diffusional Barriers And Modelling Of Oxygen Supply, G. S. Timmins, E. J. Bechara, H. M. Swartz

Dartmouth Scholarship

We describe the development and use of a direct kinetic technique to determine the time taken for oxygen to diffuse from the external environment into the light-producing cells (photocytes) in the prothorax of bioluminescent larvae of Pyrearinus termitilluminans. This was achieved by measuring the time course of the pseudoflash induced through sequential anoxia followed by normoxia. We have also determined the separate times taken for this oxygen diffusion in gaseous and tissue (predominantly aqueous) phases by using helium and nitrogen as the carrier gas. Of the total time taken for diffusion, that in the gas phase required 613+/-136 ms (mean …


Measurement Of Oxygen Partial Pressure, Its Control During Hypoxia And Hyperoxia, And Its Effect Upon Light Emission In A Bioluminescent Elaterid Larva, G. S. Timmins, C. A. A. Penatti, E. J. H. Bechara, H. M. Swartz Sep 1999

Measurement Of Oxygen Partial Pressure, Its Control During Hypoxia And Hyperoxia, And Its Effect Upon Light Emission In A Bioluminescent Elaterid Larva, G. S. Timmins, C. A. A. Penatti, E. J. H. Bechara, H. M. Swartz

Dartmouth Scholarship

This study investigates the respiratory physiology of bioluminescent larvae of Pyrearinus termitilluminans in relation to their tolerance to hypoxia and hyperoxia and to the supply of oxygen for bioluminescence. The partial pressure of oxygen (P(O2)) was measured within the bioluminescent prothorax by in vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry following acclimation of larvae to hypoxic, normoxic and hyperoxic (normobaric) atmospheres and during periods of bioluminescence (during normoxia). The P(O2) in the prothorax during exposure to an external P(O2) of 15.2, 160 and 760 mmHg was 10.3+/-2.6, 134+/-0.9 and 725+/-73 mmHg respectively (mean +/- s.d., N=5; 1 mmHg=0.1333 kPa). Oxygen supply …