Irvine, Calif., Feb. 14, 2005 -- A new study investigating the respiratory system of insects may have solved a mystery that has intrigued physiologists for decades: why insects routinely stop ...

Rather than rely solely on passive diffusion, insects use discontinuous patterns of gas exchange to avoid the toxic effects of oxygen, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine.

This is a preview. Log in through your library . Abstract Insects possess an elaborate tracheal system that enables transport of gaseous oxygen from the atmosphere directly to the inner organs.

There is a type of cockroach that can go without breathing for seven minutes at a time, and a moth pupa that can go several hours without breathing. Now a new study in The American Naturalist reports ...