Cockroaches vs. Crickets: Weights and Metabolic Rates

Abstract

We have studied the effect of size on metabolic rate to find if there is a significant correlation between the two. We measured the weight in grams and the metabolic rates of cockroaches and crickets by measuring the carbon dioxide (CO₂) output normalized by mass. CO₂ is a byproduct of metabolic reactions; therefore measuring the CO₂ output of the crickets gave us the metabolic rate. We found that the crickets, the smaller organisms, produced more carbon dioxide than the cockroaches. This means that since the smaller organisms have a faster metabolism size does have an effect on metabolic rate.