昆虫生理学生物学 (579).pdfVIP

Transpiration, Temperature and Lipids in Insect Cuticle A. R. Gilby Drvrsion of Entomology, CSl R 0,Canberra, Australra 1 Introduction 1 2 Biophysics of cuticular transpiration 3 2.1 Mass transfer of water 3 2.2 Energy budget during evaporation 6 3 Water lossand temperature 9 3.1 Water lossmeasurements 9 3.2 Critical temperature -dynamic experiments 12 3.3 Energy budget analysis 16 4 Transpiration and cuticular lipids 20 4.1 Insect integument as a limitingmembrane 20 4.2 Cuticular lipids and water loss 21 4.3 Chemical composition of cuticular lipids 22 4.4 Hypotheseson lipid functioning 24 5 Conclusion 29 Acknowledgement 30 References 30 1 Introduction Thewater relations of arthropods,andparticularly ofinsects,haveattracted theinterestofscientistsofmanydisciplinesduringhalf acentury. Theability ofterrestrial insectstoconserve water has been emphasized as onevitalbasis forthe unique successofinsectsincolonizingawiderangeofenvironments, despite their relatively small size. The penalty of a large ratio of area to volume has somehow been overcome. Given the large interface with the environment, it is inevitable that the insect cuticle should be the focus of attention in attemptsto suggest mechanisms by which this has occurred. Earlypreoccupation with the lossof water frominsectshas given wayto the realization that other factors such as the rapid absorption of water 1 2 A. R. GlLBY vapour areimportantinvivo.Recent workhas shownthat,whilesomeofthe structuresinvolved areintegumental derivatives,the siteofwater uptake is not the external integument itself. This has been reviewed recently by Wharton and Richards (1978) and mechanisms are discussed by Nobel- Nesbitt (1977). Furthermore, in the living animal the layer of epidermal cellsbeneaththe cuticle maywellbe i