Monitoring the heat production of small terrestrial animals by a twin calorimeter

Abstract

Calorimetric investigations of terrestric animals of smaller size were performed in (1) Calvet‐type isoperibol twin instruments of up to 100 mL in content, (2) a “poor man's calorimeter” of up to 24 L in volume, in single and twin setups for colonies of honeybees, stingless bees, bumblebees, and hornets, and (3) a roundabout flight calorimeter for smaller insects. Special questions of metabolism concerning sleep and heat output rates of different castes in honeybees or of increasing numbers of individuals in a group were of interest. The most simple animals in these investigations were soil‐living species like earthworms, woodlice, pill bugs, and carabid beetles; they were investigated for their routine heat production rates and the rates under the influence of the effective uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation, pentachlorophenol. The highest animals were lacertide lizards and snails, which were monitored for their standard metabolism and for stimulated reactions, to gather information about their scope of metabolism.