The oxygen consumption rate of three lepidopteran maize pest species measured by a Clark polarographic oxygen electrode using an air-to-water respirometer chamber of novel design - short communication

Abstract

In the past, traditional oxygen consumption mea - surements on air-breathers have been made by means of chemical (Winkler titration) (Winkler 1888), physical (Cartesian divers) (Howard et al . 1965) and manometric analyses (Van Slyke & Neil 1924). However, high demand for continuous monitoring, large numbers of required samples over a short period and non-invasive measure- ments of O 2 in complex biological samples have led to the development of a spectrum of O 2 detec- tion techniques. These included low-cost electro- chemical sensors such as the Clark polarographic O 2 electrode (Clark et al . 1953) and highly expen- sive opto-chemical sensors and biosensors (Peter- son et al . 1984) and zirconium sensor technology which have already become indispensable in many laboratory applications