Cockroaches on Caffeine: Behavioral analysis of the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach(Gromphadorhina portentosa) after a long term Caffeine Supplemented Diet.

Grade:

12

Teacher:

Jeremy Jonas

Behavioral analysis of the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach during a caffeine supplemented diet. Project goal was to determine what behavioral changes would occur, and whether G. portentosa could be used as a model organism in future behavioral studies of caffeine. Hypothesis was that G. portentosa would align with being a model organism for behavior and that being on a caffeine supplemented diet would increase locomotion and disrupt circadian rhythm . The results showed that caffeine had a positive correlation with aggression, eating, and locomotion, alongside a negative correlation in resting and burrowing. This aligns with other studies on invertebrates and caffeine, supporting the idea G. portentosa is a model organism

Project presentation

Research paper