The Effect of Temperature on the Metabolic Rates of Meal Worms

Abstract

Ectothermic animals are classified as animals that regulate their body temperature based on their environment. Due to the way their body reacts to the environment, their metabolic rate changes according to temperature as well. In this experiment, mealworms are placed in two different temperatures in order to demonstrate the relationship between metabolic rate and temperature. The worms were placed in a chamber at 22 Degrees Celsius and at 28 Degrees Celsius and left for five minutes and the temperature and oxygen levels were recorded at the end of the five minutes, this was repeated four times at each temperature. The results showed that as the temperature increased, the oxygen level decreased. The oxygen level decreasing could be explained by the mealworms increasing their metabolic rate. This is consistent with the theory of thermoregulation in ectotherms.