Average Running Speeds of Acheta domesticus at Different Body Temperatures

Abstract

The effects of different temperatures on Acheta domesticus speeds, based on metabolic changes, were determined to discover the biological implications on their survival during natural temperature fluctuations. Two separate treatment trials were conducted with hot and cold baths to attain three arenas of 20°C, 30°C and room temperature (22°C and 24°C). 10 replicates were placed into each arena and the average speeds of the crickets (cm/s) were found through tracing and timing. The crickets from Trial 1 had a larger mean speed difference as well as decreasing speeds with increasing temperatures, whereas the Trial 2 crickets had increasing speeds with increasing temperatures and a smaller difference in means. In both trials, the treatments resulted in sufficiently different speeds; however, the results were not statistically significant which indicates the null hypothesis, that states there is no difference between cricket speeds due to varying temperatures, cannot be rejected. Younger crickets in Trial 1 were more affected by temperature fluctuations and had speeds negatively correlated with temperature, whereas the older crickets in Trial 2 were less affected by temperature fluctuations but had speeds positively correlated with temperature. This suggests that younger crickets are less likely to survive in their natural habitats when temperatures slightly increase, while older crickets are more likely to survive when temperatures change; however, no definite conclusions can be made due to the experiment’s statistical insignificance.