Abstract

Herreid II, C.F. and R.J. Full. 1983. Cockroaches on a treadmill: aerobic running. J. Insect Physiol. 30: 395-403.

Five species of cockroach were tested pn a miniature treadmill at three velocites as O2 consumption, V(O2), was measured: Gromphadorhina chopardi, Blaberus discoidalis, Eublaberus posticus, Byrsotria fumagata, and Periplaneta americana. All cockroaches showed a classical aerobic response to running: V(O2) increased rapidly from a resting state to a steady-state V(O2): halftime on-response varied from under 30 s to 3 min. Recovery after exercise was rapid as well; halftime response varied from under 30 s to 6 min. These times are faster or similar to mammalian values. V(O2) varied directly with velocity as in running mammals, birds and reptiles. V(O2) during steady-state running was only 4-12 times higher than at rest. Running is energetically much less costly per unit time than flying, but the cost of transport per unit distance is much more expensive for pedestrians. The minimal cost of transport, M(run), the lowest V(O2) necessary to transport a given mass a specific distance, is high in cockroaches due to their small size. The new data suggests that insects may be less economical than comparable sized vertebrates.