Respiration In Crickets Lab Report

Purpose/Question Does higher or lower than natural cricket environment temperatures affect carbon dioxide emissions from cellular respiration?

Background A cricket’s ideal living temperature is about 21.1 to 32.2 degrees celsius, depending on the breed and location. If a cricket is in an environment that is at an ideal temperature, its heart rate will most likely speed up and it will be much more active, which will speed up the cellular rates of respiration. This is because crickets are ectothermic, or cold blooded. This means that when placed in a cold environment, the cricket will most likely become less active, slowing its heart and breathing rate. Since crickets do not have lungs, they breathe through spiracles, which are small

Using a laboratory incubator, the crickets were warmed up in a bottle fifteen degrees warmer than their natural environment of twenty degrees celsius for five minutes. After the CO2 sensor was connected to the computer, it could measure the CO2 levels in the air. For the sensor to measure just the crickets CO2 emissions, it completely covered the opening of the cricket’s bottle enough for it to be airtight. Using Logger Pro, the data was transmitted onto the computer into a line graph with the exact data points, clearly displaying each test. The same was done with the colder temperature, being kept in an environment of fifteen degrees cooler than the cricket’s natural environment for five minutes. The control test was done the same way, however the crickets were taken straight from their natural temperature environment of twenty degrees celsius. The control was done with no variables so that it could be compared to the variable tests and show any significant changes between them. After all the data was displayed on Logger Pro, it could be clearly distinguished through differences in

For example, in trials one and two of this test the respiration rates were zero. Technically, the rates shouldn’t be at exactly 0 ppm/s because the crickets were alive and therefore respiring, so this information could implicate that the bottle containing the crickets was not completely airtight while the CO2 sensor was reading. However, in trials three, four, and five, the rates also stay within the range of 0 and 0.3 ppm/s, so the inference that is made is that in the lower temperature the crickets will not respire as much as in the higher temperatures. In 35oC, the crickets respired quickly at rates that, when compared to the lower temperature, were on average, much higher. For example, in trial one the crickets respired at 1.12 parts per million which is about one part per million higher than when the crickets were placed in 5oC. The controlled test produced data that averaged between both varied test. The mean rate for 20oC was 0.79 ppm/s, which is about the middle of both varied experiments. This makes for clear, understandable data because the the variable of temperature changed exactly 15oC in both ways, making the control the middle temperature. The crickets used in the experiment varied in size which may have added an unnecessary variable to the equation. In future trials, the crickets should be, on average, the same size, as well as being sure the bottle containing the