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Crickets : Temperature Effect On Cricket Metabolic Rate

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Temperature Effect on Cricket Metabolic Rate
Hope Saucier, Biology 104, Lab Section C

Introduction Ectotherms experience many changes in their physiological and biochemical processes based on their surrounding temperature. Temperature can alter the way an ectotherm uses its energy in its daily activities. Researchers often measure this pattern of energy usage by looking at organismal metabolic rate. The metabolic rate can be described as all of the chemical processes occurring in a body. It is commonly determined by either the rate of production of CO2 or the rate of consumption of O2 (Nespolo et al. 2003). Ectotherm processes, such as in crickets, will greatly depend on the temperature of their external source. Endotherms have the ability to maintain their constant body temperature in a wide range of environmental temperatures (Geiser 2004). When conditions become colder, they are able to raise their metabolic rate and produce more heat. If the temperature increases, they can decrease their metabolic rate and release heat through sweating and vasodilatation. Ectotherms like Gryllus (Niehaus 2012), commonly known as crickets, instead depend on external sources for their body heat. Ectotherms must use the environmental energy and behavioral adaptations to shift their body temperature. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a measure of the rate at which an organism releases heat after breaking down food molecules. Crickets possess the ability to respond to thermal change by

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