Mice Metabolism: Testing Extreme Drops in Temperature

Abstract

Abstract:

Mice, like most mammals, are endothermic, meaning they rely on themselves to keep their body temperature constant through their metabolic rates. This experiment is designed to test what kind of effect colder temperatures have on the metabolic rate of mice. To test this, we took a mouse and contained him in a respiration chamber where we could monitor the CO2 levels for five minutes. We then decreased the temperature two different times, once at 17 degrees Celsius and again at 12 degrees Celsius, and recorded the CO2 levels each time. Our results showed us that our original hypothesis was correct, and as temperature decreases, the metabolic rate increases.