Haemolymph Buffering in the Locust <i>Schistocerca Gregaria</i>

Abstract

ABSTRACT The biochemical basis of buffering in the haemolymph of insects has received little attention, and the chemical complexity of insect haemolymph (reviewed by Mullins, 1985) suggests that the relative importance of various compounds to buffering may be quite different from that in other arthropods or vertebrates. Moreover, the role of bicarbonate as a buffer in insect haemolymph is difficult to evaluate because precautions to prevent carbon dioxide loss during sampling from insect haemolymph have generally been ignored, and titration techniques previously used to measure haemolymph buffer value allowed inadequate time for equilibration of the bicarbonate buffer system. In this study, we describe the biochemical basis of haemolymph buffering in the migratory locust Schistocerca gregaria.