What copper-based pigment is utilized by woodlice for oxygen transport in their blood?
Answer
Haemocyanin
Woodlice, being crustaceans, utilize a blood composition that is fundamentally different from mammals or insects in its oxygen-carrying mechanism. Their blood is copper-based, meaning it relies on the pigment haemocyanin to bind and transport oxygen throughout the organism. The presence of copper in this respiratory protein results in the internal body fluids possessing a pale blue tint when oxygenated. This reliance on copper necessitates a specific behavioral adaptation related to diet: woodlice practice coprophagy, consuming their own feces specifically to efficiently recycle this vital, metabolically required metal.
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