Size Does Matter: Effect of Size on Metabolic Rate on Cockroaches

Abstract

Metabolic rate affects the speed at which one’s body can obtain energy from nutrients and is affected by several variables (Hoefnagels 2014). It’s affected by several variables. We tested Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) of different masses in order to determine whether a larger mass is directly associated with a higher metabolic rate within the same species. We tested for their metabolic rate by recording the amount of CO2 in a respiration chamber over the course of ten minutes for each of the three trials and found that the larger massed subjects did indeed have a higher metabolic rate. Overall, all the data supported the original hypothesis, however there were a few human errors during the experiment.