Excretion in Insects

Cochran, Donald G.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-3204-4_3

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 466 publications

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“…Physiological adaptations include extremely efficient metabolism of ingested organic compounds (greater than 99%) and excretion of ammonia as the primary nitrogenous waste . Ammonetalism is highly unusual for terrestrial insects (Cochran, 1975) and provides an efficient means of excreting excess nitrogen while conserving carbon (and energy).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential utilization of nutrients during development by the xylophagous leafhopper, Homalodisca coagulata

Brodbeck

Andersen

Mizell

1995

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Utilization of nutrients at different stages of development was examined for the xylophage, Homalodisca coagulata (Say). Survivorship and consumption rates of second‐instar, fourth‐instar and adult leafhoppers were measured daily on the hosts Lagerstroemia indica L. and Euonymus japonica Thumb. Rates of consumption, assimilation efficiencies and daily assimilation of nitrogen, carbon, and individual organic compounds were calculated based on chemical analyses of xylem fluid and insect excreta. Gross growth efficiencies of diet utilization were also estimated by comparing biomass of young adults to estimates of nutrient utilization of the two host species. Different instars survived and utilized nutrients at varying rates on the two hosts. Second‐instar leafhoppers survived at higher rates and utilized nitrogen more efficiently on E. japonica than on L. indica. However, assimilated nitrogen was much less as a result of lower consumption rates. In contrast, adults on L. indica had increased longevity, utilized carbon more efficiently, and assimilated higher quantities of both carbon and nitrogen than those on E. japonica. Efficiencies of nutrient utilization were high for H. coagulata compared to folivores or phloem feeders, particularly in the conversion of ingested nutrients to assimilated compounds. Variations in diet utilization during development are discussed in terms of polyphagy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential utilization of nutrients during development by the xylophagous leafhopper, Homalodisca coagulata

Brodbeck

Andersen

Mizell

1995

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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“…Davies,I 975;Zimmerman et a/.,I 975). The issue is a difficult and confusing one, and both positions are debatable (Cochran, 1975;Wotton, 1977; McLachlan et ab,…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of substrate organic content on the growth of a stream chironomid

1981

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Stream detritus and Tipula (Diptera)feces were wet-sieved to a 63-250 pm particle size range and mixed in three proportions with ashed sand of the same size to yield food substrates of varying quality. Growth of fourth-instar Stictochironomus annulicrus (Townes) (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae was used to indicate whether the more nutritious particles were selected from these mixtures. Respective mean relative growth rates on the substrates, in order of decreasing percentage organic matter (i.e. food quality), were: 0.0229,0.0104, and 0.0004 mg.mg-Id-'. Replicates of the relatively high quality substrate consistently elicited the highest growth rates; animals grew at intermediate rates on medium quality, and slowest on low quality substrates. Thus, this collector does not appear to have selected for food quality under the described experimental conditions.

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“…Uric acid (UA) is a major nitrogenous excretory product of many terrestrial insects (6,7), and it is well suited to this purpose. Because of its poor solubility in water, UA can be defecated as a nontoxic solid.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of its poor solubility in water, UA can be defecated as a nontoxic solid. Water loss during excretion is thereby miniimized (6,7). However, UA should not be regarded as merely a nitrogenous waste product of insects.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Uric Acid-Degrading Bacteria in Guts of Termites [ Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)]

Potrikus

Breznak

1980

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Uricolytic bacteria were present in guts of Reticulitermes flavipes in populations up to 6 x 104 cells per gut. Of 82 strains isolated under strict anaerobic conditions, most were group N Streptococcus sp., Bacteroides termitidis, and Citrobacter sp. All isolates used uric acid (UA) as an energy source anaerobically, but not aerobically, and NH3 was the major nitrogenous product of uricolysis. However, none of the isolates had an absolute requirement for UA. Utilization of heterocyclic compounds other than UA was limited. Fresh ternite gut contents also degraded UA anaerobically, as measured by 14CO2 evolution from [2-'4C]UA. The magnitude of anaerobic uricolysis [0.67 pmol of UA catabolized/(gut x h)] was entirely consistent with the population density of uricolytic bacteria in situ. Uricolytic gut bacteria may convert UA in situ to products usable by termites for carbon, nitrogen, energy, or all three. This possibility is consistent with the fact that R. flavipes termites form UA, but they do not void the purine in excreta despite the lack of uricase in their tissues.

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Excretion in Insects

Cited by 17 publications

References 466 publications

Differential utilization of nutrients during development by the xylophagous leafhopper, Homalodisca coagulata

Differential utilization of nutrients during development by the xylophagous leafhopper, Homalodisca coagulata

The influence of substrate organic content on the growth of a stream chironomid

Uric Acid-Degrading Bacteria in Guts of Termites [ Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)]

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