How Insects Breathe

One reason insects breath differently than we do is that the surface to volume ratio between us is so different. Naturally, volume increases as the cube of the linear dimensions of the organism and the surface area only increases as the square of the dimension. This means that the ratio S/V is directly proportional to the size of the organism. A mouse has a much lower terminal velocity when falling than a human, for example, because they have a higher surface to weight ratio (weight of course is related to volume). Insects are so small that breathing doesn't require the mechanisms that we require because their S/V ratio is so so much larger. On the other hand, desiccation is a much greater problem for insects as is surface tension when wet. For these reasons, insects often have waxy coatings or other means of protecting themselves from drying out or being trapped in by a water drop, but an ant doesn't have to worry about falling out of a tree.

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If you enjoyed this, you will probably also like J.B.S Haldane&#x27;s essay, &quot;On Being the Right Size&quot;: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;irl.cs.ucla.edu&#x2F;papers&#x2F;right-size.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;irl.cs.ucla.edu&#x2F;papers&#x2F;right-size.html</a>

So, are the conclusions based on science? Not speculation or correlation re: size of insects and oxygen density. 35% oxygen to 21% doesn&#x27;t seem to account for a millipede going from 8 feet to 15in.

I enjoyed the piece. It felt like reading an episode of RadioLab.

I guess this explains why you don&#x27;t need to buy expensive and dangerous wasp spray. A squirt bottle with a thick mixture of soap will kill them in seconds by cutting off their ability to breath.

I wish at least beginning science and math books had been written like this :)

Given that there are various ways to breath, I wonder if an artificial means might ever be substantially more efficient than natural lungs?

Nicely done. I would love to see such a schematic for fish too.

Oh my god that header is huge

Interestingly, humans breathe in a second way not mentioned in the article. The eye&#x27;s cornea actually receives its oxygen directly, through the process of diffusion. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;Do-our-eyes-breathe" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;Do-our-eyes-breathe</a>

This is incredibly well done. Kudos to the author for the attention to detail and the informative read!

What would happen if you bred insects in a 50% oxygen environment?

What a great article!

all the smugness of RadioLab mixed with the talking-down-to-ness of VOX. Thanks, #content internet!

This is for children, right? All of this stuff is taught in school.