Of Mice and Cockroaches….A Tale of Metabolic Rate Between Endotherms and Ectotherms

Abstract

Are endotherms or ectotherms better suited to adapting to new environments? While ectotherms rely on their environment to maintain a relative body temperature, endotherms are capable of maintaining a relative body temperature by using thermoregulation. In this experiment we collected data to determine whether an endotherm is better suited to adapting to a new environment by measuring their metabolism while varying the temperature within a controlled environment. We tested a mouse and cockroaches in order to see how their metabolic rate changed with temperature change. We saw in our results metabolic rate change in endotherms with temperature change while the metabolic rate of ectotherms stayed the same as temperature changed. Our data supported our hypothesis that temperature affected metabolic rate in endotherms more than in ectotherms.