Researchers get to the 'bottom' of how beetles use their butts to stay hydrated
Published:11 Apr.2023 Source:University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science
Insect pests eat their way through thousands of tons of food around the world every year. Food security in developing nations is particularly affected by animal species like the grain weevil and red flour beetle which have specialized in surviving in extremely dry environments, granaries included, for thousands of years.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology investigated the molecular and physiological processes underlying the ability of beetles to survive their entire lives without drinking any liquid water whatsoever. One of the secrets of this characteristic is found in their rear ends.
Indeed, beetles can open their rectums and take up water from moist air and convert it into fluid, which they can then absorb into their bodies. This novel approach to consuming water has been known for more than a century within scientific circles around the world, but never fully clarified until now.