We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Nucleating agents in the haemolymph of insects tolerant to freezing.
- Authors
ZACHARIASSEN, KARL ERIK; HAMMEL, HAROLD T.
- Abstract
MANY insects that survive the winter in cold, exposed habitats in arctic or temperate regions are sensitive to freezing. These insects usually have supercooling points below −15°C, and their capacity for supercooling has been shown to increase considerably with increasing concentrations of glycerol in their body fluid1. On the other hand, adult insects that are tolerant to freezing ('freeze tolerant') seem to freeze invariably at high subzero temperatures (from −6 to −10°C), without regard to the concentration of glycerol and other polyols in their body fluid2-4. We report here that haemolymph from freeze-tolerant adult beetles contains a substance, which induces freezing in the haemolymph at about −6.5°C. Haemolymph from freeze-sensitive species seems to lack this substance. Such substances probably constitute the physical basis of the remarkably high supercooling points of freeze-tolerant adult insects.
- Publication
Nature, 1976, Vol 262, Issue 5566, p285
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/262285a0