Breathe Easy: Humidity’s Effect on Cockroaches Breathing

Abstract

How does humidity affect breathing? By controlling the humidity in a chamber, we measured the carbon dioxide output from cockroaches. We can determine the effect of humidity on respiratory functions in ectotherms by testing CO2 emissions. We hypothesize that through higher humidity, there will be an increase in carbon dioxide output, showing that humidity positively affects respiration in cockroaches. Our hypothesis was determined through our knowledge of respiratory functions and air pollutants, along with the use of humidifiers for health benefits.  Based on the CO2 emission we can determine how humidity effects the respiratory system. We discovered that higher humidity’s cause greater CO2 output.