Ectothermo Inferno: Metabolic Responses to Increasing Ambient Temperatures in Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa)

Abstract

Ectotherms are organisms that cannot regulate their own internal body temperature, instead they rely on outside sources to regulate their internal temperature. It was hypothesized that the metabolic rate of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches would increase as the ambient temperature increased. The experiment consisted of five cockroaches being tested at a controlled temperature of 23°C and an experimental temperature of 28°C. The results supported the hypothesis and explicitly highlighted a relationship between an increase in ambient temperature and an increase in CO2 emissions in Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.