The Effects of Temperature Change on Respiration Rates of Superworms (Zophobas morio)

Abstract

Temperature plays an extremely important role in the biological processes of animals.  More specifically with respect to an ectotherm, environmental temperature plays a role in metabolism rates, namely CO2 production.  To test this, we used a chamber containing five darkling beetle larvae (Zophobas morio) where the temperature remained constant.  We then monitored the carbon dioxide production over an hour at different temperature to determine an increase or decrease in respiration and thus how this affects the metabolism rate.  Concentration of CO2 was shown to increase more rapidly with a higher temperature and lower with a decreasing temperature.  This confirms the relationship an ectotherm has with its external environmental temperature.