Does the Size of Ectotherms Affect Respiration Rate?

Abstract

Is there a correlation between the body size of ectotherms and their respiration rates? In this study we calculated the respiration rates for randomly selected crickets, wax worms, and cockroaches. We placed 10 wax worms, 3 cockroaches, and 10 crickets in a respiration chamber at a time and measured their CO2 levels for 5 minutes. We hypothesized that due to their size, the cockroaches will have the highest respiration rate. Our experiment resulted in the cockroaches having the highest respiration rates, supporting our hypothesis.