This lab report was describing and analyzing the effect of temperature on the rate of cellular respiration in crickets. Cellular respiration is an essential metabolic process in almost all organisms because it provides cells with the energy (ATP) necessary for work. I chose this lab report because it shows that I can follow a procedure, procure scientifically accepted results, and analyze said results. The introduction and discussion also show that I understand cellular respiration, which was a learning objective for the course. I also identify the variables being measured, “The independent variable of this experiment was the temperature of the chambers, and the dependent variable was the respiration rate of the crickets (ppm/sec/g),” which is a key feature of any lab report. While writing this report, I used also parenthetical citations. “Proppe and Harrel’s study does appear to show that cellular respiration decreases the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water (2007).” We were expected to reference other experiments in the report to demonstrate research skills. I definitely became quicker at searching databases for reliable, peer reviewed sources. After working on this lab report, I found myself to be even more confident in my Excel skills because I had spent so much time working on graphing and analyzing my data.

METABOLISM LAB REPORT