Are Cricket Respiration Rates Affected by Exposure to Different Spectrums of Light?
Andrew Schmid, Dustin Stamp, Melissa Sparks, Kristen Stone University of Colorado at Boulder, Fall 2001 In this experiment we tested whether a single-spectrum of light would affect cricket respiration. Our hypothesis was that crickets in single-spectrum light would have a lower respiration rate compared to crickets in full-spectrum light. To set his experiment up, we used approximately 8 to 10 crickets in a jar. We then used CO2 sensors to measure the respiration rate for five-minute intervals. We did 3 trials for each lighting situation. First we tested respiration rates of crickets in the absence of any light, which was our experimental control. We chose this as a control because crickets are nocturnal, thus the control simulates an environment similar to the lack of light in their natural habitat. We then measured the respiration rates in full spectrum light, followed by blue light and then red light. To perform the light trials we used two light sources on ether side of the cricket
