Uh oh! Hot n’ Cold Crickets!: A study on the metabolic rate of Acheta domstica and how various temperatures affect it

Abstract

The metabolic rates of ectotherms are more impacted by ambient temperature than those of endotherms, yet there are few specific studies over the immediate effects of a change in ambient temperature on the metabolic rate of Acheta domestica, the common house cricket; thus, we decided to test the metabolic rate of a group of Acheta domestica within different ambient temperatures that are equidistant from the room temperature in order to determine this.  In order to achieve this, we are measuring the average metabolic rate of a group of crickets over a set period of time in an environment with a set ambient temperature (26°C) and then comparing the results.  Our results indicated that the ambient temperature during the trials had a direct effect on the metabolic rate of our subjects and supported our hypotheses that the metabolic rate of our subjects would lower at colder temperatures, and rise in warmer temperatures.