Energetics of Running Cockroaches

Abstract

Male cockroaches Gromphadorhina portentosa were made to run at 0.03, 0.07, and 0.12 kilometer per hour on a miniature treadmill within a small respirometer. Oxygen consumption was directly related to running velocity. The half-time necessary for oxygen consumption to reach a steady state during exercise was about 1 minute and the half-time for recovery was 4 to 6 minutes. The energetic cost of transport was comparable to that for bipedal and quadrupedal vertebrates.