noun
- a small terminal branch of the tracheal system in insects that delivers air directly to tissues
Usage: biology
Examples
- The tracheoles branch extensively throughout the insect’s body tissues.
- Oxygen diffuses from the tracheoles directly into the cells.
- Each tracheole is extremely narrow, measuring only a few micrometers in diameter.
- The tracheole system allows insects to breathe without lungs or blood circulation.
- Fluid-filled tracheoles can regulate gas exchange in response to the insect’s needs.
- Scientists studied how tracheoles develop during the insect’s metamorphosis.