We Finally Know How Bumblebee Queens Can Survive Underwater for Days
a day ago
- #bumblebees
- #survival
- #biology
- Bumblebee queens can survive underwater for over a week by extracting oxygen from water.
- They use a combination of underwater respiration, anaerobic metabolism, and profound metabolic depression.
- This ability helps them survive environmental crises like flooded burrows.
- The survival rate of Bombus impatiens queens submerged in water is around 90%.
- Researchers found that submerged bees take in oxygen from water and expel carbon dioxide.
- Submersion reduces the bees' metabolism to the bare minimum required for survival.
- The exact mechanism of oxygen extraction is still unclear, but a physical gill is suspected.
- Future studies will explore the adaptations enabling queens to withstand extended submersion.