How the Metabolic Rate of Mealworms Relates to High and Low Temperatures

Abstract

 We conducted an experiment to answer questions regarding how the metabolic rate of mealworms correlates with their environmental temperatures. We hypothesize that because the mealworms are ectothermic, their metabolic rate will be lower during colder environmental conditions and higher during warmer conditions. Our experiment indirectly measured the metabolic rate of mealworms through their CO2 production. We took CO2 measurements under cold, hot, and, room temperature conditions to collect data to test our hypothesis. The mealworms in the high temperature had a very high average metabolic rate. The results of the experiment show that higher temperatures correlate with a higher metabolic rate in mealworms, supporting our hypothesis. This reaction to temperature supports endothermic behavior in the mealworms.