Figure 7.

Comparison of x-ray impact on two different regions of the insect body. Representative CO₂ traces are from two different ant specimens (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) with the x-ray beam targeted on the abdomen (a) and the head (b). Even though the abdomen-irradiated ant (a) received a higher x-ray flux (80 vs. 36 μW/mm²), it showed no discernible changes in CO₂ emission pattern. In contrast, the head-irradiated ant (b) showed dramatic changes in CO₂ emission, including a decrease in variance leading up to the RS (at which point the head stopped moving) and a cyclic pattern of release (similar to DGC in decapitated ants [25, 26]) thereafter.