Behavior of Cockroaches

Abstract

The purpose of our experiment is to determine the behavior of Madagascar Cockroaches in varying temperatures. Insects are ectotherms, meaning that they do not regulate their metabolic rate in order to maintain a constant body temperature. In our experiment, we exposed the cockroaches to an extreme cold temperature of 16°C. In contrast, we exposed them to the high temperature of 30°C. During the trials we observed their behavior. We also measured O2 intake in order to give us a better grasp of the roaches’ metabolic rate. As expected, in lower temperatures the roaches huddled and in higher temperatures they remained stagnant. We also noticed a correlation between the oxygen intake and temperature, which provided more data for our experiment.