Effects of Cricket Size and Temperature on Metabolism

Abstract

Ectotherms are dependent on their environment to maintain body temperature. It is important for ectotherms to be able to maintain body temperature because in an environment that is too hot or too cold, they could possibly have a threat in survival. Although other factors influence the metabolic rate of ectotherms, temperature and group activity are the most relevant factors in metabolic rate. In this experiment, we will test whether temperature and group size affect the metabolic rate of crickets. We hypothesize that crickets will have a higher metabolic rate when the environment is a warmer temperature and they are in a larger group size because their respiration will increase due to the interchange of heat whenever more crickets are gathered together. This experiment can help scientists better understand the importance of activity in a large population, as well as how climate changes can affect the individual activity of the cricket. We used a small chamber, an O2 probe, a temperature probe, and a balance for this experiment. We measured the O2 levels of five different group sizes of crickets at room temperature, below room temperature, and above room temperature for 180 seconds. Our experiment showed that heat and larger group size increased the metabolic rate of crickets, while the cold and room temperatures and smaller group sizes decreased the metabolic rate. Our hypothesis was supported by the data collected.