2026-07-23 ブリティッシュコロンビア大学（UBC）
Excised Chaoborus edulis airsacs. Photo credit: Philip Matthews.
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.ubc.ca/2026/07/insect-submariners-survive-the-depths-without-imploding/
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed0667
耐圧性の気嚢により、昆虫の幼虫は極めて深い水深の生息地を利用することができる Crush-resistant air sacs allow insect larvae to exploit aquatic habitats at extreme depth
Evan K. G. McKenzie, Maxon J. R. Ngochera, Joseph Chombo, Hayley McLennan, […] , and Philip G. D. Matthews
Science Published:23 Jul 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aed0667
Abstract
The absence of aquatic insects from pelagic marine habitats has been attributed to their air-filled tracheal respiratory system, which could implode at depth while undertaking diel vertical migrations to escape predatory fish. However, we found that the aquatic larvae of the lake fly Chaoborus edulis in Lake Malawi have modified their tracheal system into reinforced buoyancy-regulating air-filled sacs, allowing them to escape predatory fish by undertaking these migrations well over 200 meters deep into the lake’s anoxic hypolimnion during the day. The crush depth of their air sacs increases with each instar, with final instars resisting implosion at depths greater than half a kilometer. Contrary to expectations, these insects adapt to the extreme hydrostatic pressures of deep-water habitats, allowing them to coexist with pelagic fish.
