How Do Spiders Breathe?
WouterSpiders are known to live underwater, but how do they breathe? This is an important question because spiders can spend hours to days under water without oxygen.
Scientists have long studied the diving bell spider. This arachnid uses bubbles on the water’s surface to breathe. The air bubble acts as an oxygen tank. When the bubble becomes full, the spider resurfaces to replenish it. The oxygen absorbed by the bubble can be more than a day’s worth of air.
Spiders can also survive under water in an air bubble. This type of breathing system is also used by the water spider. A water spider, or Argyroneta aquatica, is a 10-millimeter-long spider that lives underwater. The spider collects oxygen from the water and deposits it into its silk air tank. The bubble can stay under the surface for up to 24 hours, according to researchers.
Professor Roger Seymour and physiologist Stefan Hetz studied the breathing mechanism of spiders in aquaria. They used optical fibres with oxygen-sensitive dye to measure the concentration of oxygen in the water outside the air bubble. They also observed the movement of gases and watched spiders fill and empty the air bubbles.
Spiders use their tracheal system, which is made up of long tubes that extend throughout the body. Some spiders have just one trachea, while others have two. Each trachea functions as a respiratory organ. Some spiders also have body hair that traps carbon dioxide.
The spiders’ tracheal system also carries blood. The blood circulates nutrients, hormones, and oxygen. It contains a protein-rich respiratory pigment called hemocyanin. The hemocyanin carries oxygen and exchanges carbon dioxide.
