If insects size is limited by the amount of oxygen present in

That seems like an experiment that could take centuries to bear fruit, and even if it did the insects would suffocate as soon as they are exposed to current atmospheric conditions

It's not like all you need to do to make a bug grow is just add oxygen

Isn't it just from evolution?
I can't imagine a huge spider would just die straight up in low oxygen but would be less fit to survive and reproduce.

100% oxygen would kill them. You'd have to reach some kind of upper limit on the oxygen to nitrogen ratio for it to work. Even then there's a limit on the size just based on their exoskeleton. It can only be so thick and heavy before it crushes them in our gravity.

Why not just evolve them to not give a shit about oxygen?

>>2464570
I'd wager that the burden of needing to replace your skeletal structure every now and then combined with competition from animals who don't has put a larger limitation on arthropod size than respiratatory abilities.

>>2464570
it would be faster to genetically engineer giant spiders ourselves
for some stupid reason

>>2464570
>If insects size is limited by the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere....
this is false.

>What if we made 100% oxygen insect farms
Oxygen at that concentration is deadly to most life.

File: coconut_crab_33.jpg (78KB, 700x525px) Image search: [Google]

78KB, 700x525px

>>2464570
nature already tried this one, with moderate success

File: Kumongafinal303.jpg (141KB, 800x532px) Image search: [Google]

141KB, 800x532px

>>2464570
Some scientists actually did this with dragonflies, they basically just bred them as large as they could inside an oxygen tent, they stopped when they got to an average of 15% larger, I think they should have just kept going to see how monstrous they could get them.

https://www.wired.com/2010/11/huge-dragonflies-oxygen/

>tfw you will never ride your giant war spider through the ruins of a middle eastern village

File: 1500060961784.png (1019KB, 4500x4334px) Image search: [Google]

1019KB, 4500x4334px

>>2464570
>If insects size is limited by the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere
It is not. there are a variety of other reasons which are probably more important than the oxygen content. The largest ever flying insect for example lived at a time when oxygen in the atmosphere was equal or lower than today.

>What if we made 100% oxygen insect farms and tried to breed massive dog-sized spiders or something?
As already explained 100% oxygen kills, not instantly, but definitely over a span of days or weeks.

Even if it was oxygen and 100% oxygen wouldn't kill it still wouldn't work. As the animal becomes heavier gravity becomes more important and molting would no longer work. Also their entire muscular support system relies on the exoskeleton, which has to get thicker and thicker with increased size and mass and it would be an enormous burden to replace and carry around eventually.

And lastly
>insect size
>posts picture of spider

>>2465956
I wanna feed them sandniggers to my big ass war-tarantula

>>2464570
They are also limited by their exoskeletons. Not only does it it much heavier the bigger they get, but also less-protective.

Scientists have tried experiments like this with mixed results. In fact, some cockroaches exposed to high-oxygen atmospheres matured smaller than usual, but much faster. Even if they are exposed to high levels of oxygen, there'd be no growing unless there was evolutionary stress to grow, and that would take many lifetimes for even moderate size change.

>>2465963
Wouldn't a 100% oxygen atmosphere ignite every flammable thing it touched? Oxygen is incredibly reactive.

>>2464570
1) this is false
2) you can't live in a 100% oxygen environnement
3) arthropods (I think that it's what you meant by "insects" ?), like every organism, have limitations in relation to their bodysize because of their biology (others have explained why in this thread)
4) it would be dangerous, dioxygen is an oxidizing agent
why do you think that wind makes fires bigger ? they bring more dioxygen to power the combustion
any spark in these farms would make them burn instantly (and by them, I mean everything, the spiders, the farm, the people)

thank fuck that asteroid blasted all that oxygen into space

based God

>>2464570
>asshole breeds fucking dog-sized spiders

Hopefully someone shoots whoever thought of doing that well before he actually does it.

>>2465956
>they basically just bred them as large as they could inside an oxygen tent, they stopped when they got to an average of 15% larger
you can't read.

they didn't breed them, they just grew one generation in elevated oxygen.

If they had bred them and they became larger this would disprove evolution.

because an environmental benefit is not a selective pressure on size producing a heritable result.
Giving bugs more O2 or food or water or anything does not make them evolve larger. It just makes the individuals larger.