The purpose of the project is to see effects fats, proteins, and carbohydrates will have on mealworms. To carry out the experiment, 20 mealworms were purchased, and they were divided up equally into four 250 ml beakers(5 mealworms in each beaker). Each group of mealworms were assigned a food group; fats(nuts), proteins(ham and eggwhites), carbohydrates(apples), and a mixture group(a mixture of all the foods). These mealworms were massed periodically over a four week period. At the time of the first feeding session, all of the mealworms in these categories weighed 2.8 grams, with the exception of the carbohydrate mealworms, which were 2.7 grams. On a scale from 1-10, the activity of the mealworms were all the (4.5). By the second feeding, the differences in the mealworms mass and activity level were noticeable. Their mass(all in grams) were as follows: fats=2.8, protein =3.2, carbohydrates=3.4, and the mixtures were 3. Their activity levels also changed. The fats were a 3.5, the proteins were a 5, the carbohydrates were a 6, and the mixture were a 5. By the third feeding, the protein mealworms and the mixture mealworms were the heaviest with 3.9 grams. The carbohydrate mealworms were 3.7 grams, and the fat mealworms were 3.4 grams. The activity was noticeably different. The fats were a 2, the proteins were a 7.5, the carbohydrates were an 8.5, and the mixture were a 6.5.
After completing the assignment, it was found that the fat mealworms
were the lightest and they were the least active. The proteins were the
second lightest, and they were very active. The carbohydrate mealworms and
the mixture mealworms were tied for the heaviest, but the carbohydrate mealworms
were the most active, while the mixture mealworms were moderately active.