Hymenoptera

HOMEOSTATIC FUNCTIONING OF HYMENOPTERANS

In evolution , organisms need to adapt to their surrounding environment in to survive and multiply . Several factors are considered to influence the success of each species in the wild , these include body size , behavior , phylogeny and environment . The cost of survival for each species requires that the organism 's needs for food , shelter and procreation are well maintained . In this , different mechanisms for regulation of physiology functions , better known as homeostasis , in hymenopterans (Kingdom Animalia , Phylum Athropoda , Class Insecta Hymenoptera ) will be described is associated with the

structure function and evolution of these organisms

Respiration is one of the most important processes of living organisms Each type of organism has a critical requirement for molecular oxygen that can only be acquired from the external environment . Oxygen is then utilized for producing energy in tissue cells that are in turn , working simultaneously with physiological , biochemical and behavioral processes in the body of the organism . The need for this gas is so important that organisms will not survive without a continuous supply of oxygen Acquisition of oxygen should be design in a very efficient manner to cater to the demands of the body in for an organism to normally function

In hymenopterans , the apparatus employed for the acquisition of gas from the environment is so simple yet very efficient . Air sacs assist the direct delivery of oxygen to the tissue cells to the trachea and tracheoles with a negligible decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen Both respiratory and circulatory systems are removing the circulatory system from the responsibility for gas exchange . In turn , the spiracles of the tracheal system compress the air and remove exhaust at the same time . The architecture of the air sacs and the trachea are supported by circular cuticular taenidia Physiologically , the hymenopteran tracheal system is similar to plant leaves , wherein gases are directly transmitted to the cells without the need for a circulatory system . In plants , this gas transmission is performed by stomata , while in hymenopterans , the same function is provided by spiracles

The tracheal system of hymenopterans is designed with precision that every cell in the body is supplied with oxygen . The tracheoles are very thin branches of the tracheal system , and from an evolutionary point of view , are equivalent to blood capillaries in the vertebrates . In actuality , the tracheoles are capable of providing 10-fold more oxygen per gram of tissue than capillaries . Tissues that are actively involved in metabolic pathways are supplied with very narrow tracheoles that may cause minutes infoldings in some cells . Mitochondria are generally situated around the tracheoles to provide energy in very active regions of the hymenopteran . The tidal volume of the trachea is increased by 70 by the presence of tracheoles , which in turn reduce the need for gas diffusion to the rest of the part of the body (Maina , 2002 . The flight muscles of hymenopterans have the highest rates for metabolism , hence the need for a continuous supply of oxygen...