To the Extreme! How Does Temperature Affect the Metabolic Rate of Poikilotherms

Abstract

Most animals can be divided into two classifications—homeotherms and poikilotherms—in terms of the source of their body heat.  Homeotherms maintain their body temperature at a constant level through the use of metabolism while poikilotherms are dependent on their surrounding environment as their source of heat. Metabolism amongst poikilotherms varies with body size, as stated in French (2016). Based on this, we hypothesized that Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) will have a higher metabolic rate than Darkling Beetle larvae, Zophobas morio, when temperature is adjusted due to the difference in each species’ current life stages. We placed each species in a respiration chamber sealed with a temperature probe and oxygen probe to measure oxygen consumption every minute over the course of each ten-minute trial.