The Effect of Cold Temperature on the Metabolic Rates of Superworms and Cockroaches

Abstract

Our study involves superworms and Madagascar hissing cockroaches and the relation of external factors (such as temperature or stress) on metabolism measured through their oxygen consumption. We tested superworms and cockroaches to determine how a cold environment would affect their metabolic rates. We measured their oxygen levels, as a measure of their respiration rate due to oxygen input needed for the electron transport chain in cellular respiration, for five minutes on each trial and found that the superworms’ and cockroaches’ oxygen levels decreased in the cold temperature. We found that the superworms were effected more by temperature than cockroaches due to their smaller body size.