Information
Ecological parameter: respiration according to TachetParameter group: life & body related parameters
Explanation:
The trait describes the gas exchange processes of invertebrate organisms. Gas exchanges may be performed in the aquatic environment via branchial respiration. That includes "blood gills" in many molluscs, crustaceans and rare worms (e.g. Branchiura sowerbyi) or insect larvae (e.g. Chironomus) or "tracheal gills" in insect larvae, including mayflies, damselflies and some caddisflies. Another option is cutaneous respiration (i.e. tegument, in Porifera, Cnidaria, Turbellaria, but also small larval instars of insects). Gas exchanges may also be aerial, via spiracles that may be fed from bubbles and replaced periodically by visits to the water surface or to photosynthesizing plants. Air bubbles can be stored in various ways. A few species of Heteroptera (e.g. Naucoridae) and beetles (e.g. Elmidae) have developed a large body area covered with a pile of very fine short hydrophobe hairs supporting a thin dry gaseous layer acting as a physical gill (= plastron), from which specialised spiracles can receive air.
Tachet, H., Bournaud, M., Richoux, P. & Usseglio-Polatera, P. (2010): Invertébrés d'eau douce - systématique, biologie, écologie. CNRS Editions, Paris, 600 p.
Additional information:
Note that several classifications of the Tachet database are on higher taxonomic level than on species level. To display them in the list please enable "include higher taxonomic units" in the "advanced search".
Abbreviations:
| Category name | Abbreviation | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| tegument | teg | respiration through the body surface |
| gill | gil | respiration using special respiration organs |
| plastron | pls | respiration using a thin layer of air around the body |
| spiracle (aerial) | spi | respiration using small openings on the body surface |
| hydrostatic vesicle (aerial) | ves | respiration using air within a small blister |
| Taxagroup | Number of assigned taxa / total number of taxa - percentage |
|---|---|
| Porifera | 3 / 12 - 25% |
| Coelenterata | 2 / 13 - 15.3% |
| Turbellaria | 4 / 61 - 6.5% |
| Kamptozoa | 1 / 1 - 100% |
| Nemertini | 1 / 1 - 100% |
| Gastropoda | 15 / 241 - 6.2% |
| Bivalvia | 3 / 77 - 3.8% |
| Polychaeta | 1 / 13 - 7.6% |
| Oligochaeta | 16 / 240 - 6.6% |
| Hirudinea | 10 / 68 - 14.7% |
| Crustacea | 11 / 270 - 4% |
| Ephemeroptera | 16 / 353 - 4.5% |
| Odonata | 17 / 174 - 9.7% |
| Plecoptera | 9 / 576 - 1.5% |
| Heteroptera | 10 / 124 - 8% |
| Planipennia | 1 / 12 - 8.3% |
| Coleoptera | 52 / 2678 - 1.9% |
| Trichoptera | 38 / 1439 - 2.6% |
| Lepidoptera | 4 / 19 - 21% |
| Diptera (excl. Chironomidae) | 2 / 2404 - 0% |
| Bryozoa | 6 / 19 - 31.5% |