Patterns of Tracheal Compression in the Thorax of the Ground Beetle, Platynus decentis

Insects breathe using a system of tracheal tubes that ramify throughout the body. Rhythmic tracheal compression (RTC), the periodic collapse and reinflation of parts of the system, has been identified in multiple taxa, but little is known about the precise dynamics of tube deformation cycles. It has been hypothesized that during RTC, compression occurs synchronously throughout the body, but specific kinematic patterns along the length of individual tracheae may vary. Tube collapse or reinflation that proceeds unidirectionally along the length of a tube may function as a pump to transport air, augmenting gas exchange. This study aims to characterize patterns of tracheal compression in one species of carabid beetle, Platynus decentis, to test the hypothesis of directional compression. The internal tracheae of living beetles were visualized using synchrotron x-ray phase contrast imaging at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. X-ray video results show that tracheal compression is characterized by the formation of discrete, buckled regions in the tube wall, giving the appearance of “dimpling.” Dimple formation in the main dorsal tracheal trunks of the prothorax occurred as two semi-circular fronts that spread symmetrically or directionally along the longitudinal tube axis. In the transverse axis, the main ventral trunks collapsed in the lateral direction, whereas the dorsal trunks collapsed dorsoventrally. Along the length of the ventral thoracic tracheal trunks, collapse and reinflation occurred synchronously in the majority of cycles (75 percent), not sequentially. Synchronous longitudinal compression and consistent dimple formation kinematics within an animal suggest that Platynus decentis employs a stereotyped mechanism to produce cycles of tracheal collapse and reinflation, but such compression does not function as a unidirectional pump, at least along the length of the local trachea. Further data on spiracle opening and closing patterns and internal pressures within the tracheal system are required to determine actual airflow patterns within the body.