Cricket Respiration Lab

Research Question: How does temperature affect the rate of cellular respiration?

Hypothesis: At temperatures ideal for enzyme activity, cellular activity occurs at higher efficiency since enzymes are responsible cellular respiration, it is likely that ideal temperatures for enzymes are ideal temperatures for cellular respiration. Hypothetically, warmer temperatures should lead to an increase in the rate of cellular respiration. Independent Variable: (include range and units) The independent variable is the temperature at 10, 18, and 24 degrees Celsius of the environment of the cricket. Dependent Variable: The dependant variable is the amount of oxygen consumed by the cricket

Observations: The following table shows the data collected Oxygen consumption of cricket

0 consumption (ml) Temperatures 18 degrees 0.0 0.6 0.9 1.2 1.6 2

Time (min) 0 5 10 15 20

10 degrees 0.0 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.9

Oxygen consumption of cricket 3 2.5 2

O2 Consumption 1.5 1 0.5 0

0

5

10

15

Time (min) 10 degrees

18 degrees

25 degrees

20

25 degrees 0.0 0.9 1.4 1.8 2.4

Processed data. Rate of respiration Calculated using: Δ oxygen consumed (in mL) / Δ time (in min) 10 degrees: 0.9 mL/20 min = 0.045 mL/min 18 degrees: 1.6 mL/20 min = 0.08 mL/min 25 degrees: 2.4 mL/20 min = 0.12 mL/min

Rate of respiration of cricket Temperature

Rate of respiration

10 degrees 18 degrees 24 degrees

0.045 mL/min 0.08 mL/min 0.12 mL/min

Rate of Respiration and Temperature 0.14 0.12 0.1 0.08

Rate of Repiration (mL/min) 0.06 0.04 0.02 0

8

10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26

Temperature (celcius)

Conclusion/Evaluation

There is a strong positive correlation between the temperature and the rate of respiration of the cricket. Thus we can conclude that temperature does indeed have an impact on the rate of cellular respiration, based on the graph, the hypothesis is correct: at warmer temperatures, the rate of cellular respiration is increased. As evident from the processed data, the rate of cellular respiration of the cricket at 10 degrees Celsius was only 0.045 mL/min, while the cricket had a rate of 0.12 mL/min when the temperature was 25 degrees.

Although, we can see a positive correlation that is almost linear between the temperature and the rate of respiration, past a certain temperature threshold, the enzymes denature. Based on the fact that enzymes are responsible for cellular activity, it can be inferred that the denaturation of enzymes would change the rate of cellular respiration. Therefore, we can conclude that between 0 to 25 degrees, temperature and rate of cellular respiration has a positive correlation. However, in order to draw a conclusive statement regarding the correlation between temperature and respiration, further testing is required to cover a broader temperature range.