Animal Physiology
Humboldt University Berlin
Philippstr. 13, House 18
10115 Berlin

Contact: Dr. Stefan Hetz

                                                          
Email: stefan.k.hetz(at)rz.hu-berlin.de

Phone: +49 30 2093 6178                                    

We are primarily interested in the regulation of circulation and respiration in insects. Our more specific interests are the physiological reasons for the unique discontinuous gas exchange behavior and the reversal of heartbeat direction in our model animals. The development of new methods allows us to measure a bunch of physiological parameters (gas exchange, heartbeat, levels of oxygen/carbon dioxide) simultaneously. We are setting environmental parameters automatically and record the response of the animals´ physiological parameters. Computer aided data acquisition allows us to gain huge data sets that are used to check current hypotheses and generate models of the behavior of certain physiological parameters.

Selected Publications:

2008

Voigt, C. C., Grasse, P., Rex, K., Hetz, S. K. and Speakman, J. R. (2008). Bat breath reveals metabolic substrate use in free-ranging vampires. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 178, 9-16.

2007

Orgeig, S., Bernhard, W., Biswas, S. C., Daniels, C. B., Hall, S. B., Hetz, S. K., Lang, C. J., Maina, J. N., Panda, A. K., Perez-Gil, J., Possmayer, F., Veldhuizen, R. A. and Yan, W. (2007). The anatomy, physics, and physiology of gas exchange surfaces: is there a universal function for pulmonary surfactant in animal respiratory structures? Integrative and Comparative Biology 47, 610-627.

Kovac, H., Stabentheiner, A., Hetz, S. K., Petz, M. and Crailsheim, K. (2007). Respiration of resting honeybees. Journal of Insect Physiology 53, 1250-1261.

Hetz, S. K. (2007). The role of the spiracles in gas exchange during development of Samia cynthia (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 148, 743-754.
 

2006

Chown, S. L., Gibbs, A. G., Hetz, S. K., Klok, C. J., Lighton, J. R. B. and Marais, E. (2006). Discontinuous gas exchange in insects: A clarification of hypotheses and approaches. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 79, 333-343.

 
2005 and before

Hetz, S. K. and Bradley, T. J. (2005). Insects breathe discontinuously to avoid oxygen toxicity. Nature 433, 516-519.

Wobschall, A. and Hetz, S. K. (2004). Oxygen uptake by convection and diffusion in diapausing moth pupae (Attacus atlas). In Animals and Environments, (eds. S. Morris and A. Vosloo), pp. 157-164. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Bradley, T. J., Brethorst, L., Robinson, S. and Hetz, S. K. (2003). Changes in the rate of CO2 release following feeding in the insect Rhodnius prolixus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 76, 302-309.

Bradley, T. J. and Hetz, S. K. (2001). Specific dynamic action in the insect Rhodnius prolixus. American Zoologist 41, 1397-1397.

Mbata, G. N., Hetz, S. K., Reichmuth, C. and Adler, C. (2000). Tolerance of pupae and pharate adults of Callosobruchus subinnotatus Pic (Coleoptera : Bruchidae) to modified atmospheres: a function of metabolic rate. Journal of Insect Physiology 46, 145-151.

Hetz, S. K., Psota, E. and Wasserthal, L. T. (1999). Roles of aorta, ostia and tracheae in heartbeat and respiratory gas exchange in pupae of Troides rhadamantus Staudinger 1888 and Ornithoptera priamus L. 1758 (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). International Journal of Insect Morphology & Embryology 28, 131-144.

Hetz, S. K., Wasserthal, L. T., Hermann, S., Kaden, H. and Oelssner, W. (1994). Direct oxygen measurements in the tracheal system of lepidopterous pupae using miniaturized amperometric sensors. Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics 33, 165-170.