Magnetic Termite Mounds
The body temperature of insects strongly affects the rate of energy expenditure, food harvesting, predation, avoiding predators, finding a mate and susceptibility to disease. Behavioural mechanisms as simple as body posture can lower an insect’s body temperature. Convective heat loss is the intrinsic rate of heat loss determined by the conductance of the bodies shape, size and insulation. The heat loss is directly proportional to the body temperature of the insect and the temperature of its surroundings. Winged insects sit parallel to the sun’s ray absorbing less heat and insects with elongated abdomens such as dragonflies may raise their abdomens exposing the least amount of surface area of their body and in turn shading the head and thorax (Burchsted 2009) a form of convective heat loss.
Spatial arrangements such as housing positions are also behavioural adaptations developed. Termite mounds are usually oriented in a north-south arrangement so during dawn and dusk they absorb heat, but this design also allows for limited heat absorption during midday. In colonial insects such as worker bees, jobs are designated for the good of the colony as a whole, honey bees mount themselves in front of the hive opening and beat their wings to fan air into the hive circulating the air and removing heat. Other insects such as the orders Odonata and Lepidoptera migrate south in the fall and north in the spring in response to seasonal changes.
Spatial arrangements such as housing positions are also behavioural adaptations developed. Termite mounds are usually oriented in a north-south arrangement so during dawn and dusk they absorb heat, but this design also allows for limited heat absorption during midday. In colonial insects such as worker bees, jobs are designated for the good of the colony as a whole, honey bees mount themselves in front of the hive opening and beat their wings to fan air into the hive circulating the air and removing heat. Other insects such as the orders Odonata and Lepidoptera migrate south in the fall and north in the spring in response to seasonal changes.
Apis mellifera cooling the hive
Insects have adapted parts of their bodies to be heat radiators to increase the surface area of the insect’s body to disperse more heat to the surrounding environment. These occur when fluids with a high heat capacity such as hemolymph circulates carrying the heat close to the surface of the radiator dispersing it. Insect’s orders Odonata, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera use their abdomens as heat radiators.
Evaporative cooling is a mechanism specifically for thermoregulation in species such as honey bees and yellow jacket wasps. These species use their head as a heat radiator by regurgitating nectar from their honey crop and holding it on the head and mouthparts. The heat circulating in their bodily fluids evaporates the water in the nectar dispersing the heat from the head. The heated fluid in the thorax then flows to the head and the cooler liquid from the head flows through the thorax lowering the temperature of the insect.
Through these evolved mechanisms insects have been able to colonise arid and desert environments with ways to survive and thrive.
Evaporative cooling is a mechanism specifically for thermoregulation in species such as honey bees and yellow jacket wasps. These species use their head as a heat radiator by regurgitating nectar from their honey crop and holding it on the head and mouthparts. The heat circulating in their bodily fluids evaporates the water in the nectar dispersing the heat from the head. The heated fluid in the thorax then flows to the head and the cooler liquid from the head flows through the thorax lowering the temperature of the insect.
Through these evolved mechanisms insects have been able to colonise arid and desert environments with ways to survive and thrive.