Insects Advantages & Limitations of a gas exchange system Pien, Alex & Jess

Advantages  1. Insects have no transport system, so gases have to go straight to the respiring tissues.  2. Can close their spiracles in hot/ dry conditions to avoid water loss.  3. At the end of the tracheoles there is fluid for oxygen to dissolve in so it can diffuse across the membrane.

Limitations  1. Insects have to be small for the system to be effective.  2. As an insect increases in size the weight devoted to gas exchange increases, therefore the insect would not be able to move because of the weight of the chiton.  3. Spiricles can clog up when they are open, which will stop air from going into the body.