Beyond longevity: How do dietary restrictions affect lifetime reproduction?
Faculty Mentor Name
Zach Stahlschmidt
Research or Creativity Area
Natural Sciences
Abstract
Caloric restriction (CR) improves longevity across a wide range of animals– from worms to humans. However, CR tends to reduce short-term reproductive output. Therefore, it remains unclear how CR affects overall fitness, which reflects lifetime reproductive success. Here, we examined how differences in nutrient availability affected survival and lifetime reproduction in the variable field cricket (Gryllus lineaticeps). Starting on the first day of adulthood, we offered females either unlimited access to a high-nutrient diet (25% cellulose), or one of two CR treatments: unlimited access to a low-nutrient diet (68% cellulose) or intermittent access to the high-nutrient diet. For 33 days, we monitored survival to estimate effects on lifespan, and we determined reproductive success by monitoring weekly egg production and hatching success. Our results will clarify how two different types of CR– nutrient dilution and intermittent fasting– affect lifetime reproduction as a proxy for fitness.
Beyond longevity: How do dietary restrictions affect lifetime reproduction?
Caloric restriction (CR) improves longevity across a wide range of animals– from worms to humans. However, CR tends to reduce short-term reproductive output. Therefore, it remains unclear how CR affects overall fitness, which reflects lifetime reproductive success. Here, we examined how differences in nutrient availability affected survival and lifetime reproduction in the variable field cricket (Gryllus lineaticeps). Starting on the first day of adulthood, we offered females either unlimited access to a high-nutrient diet (25% cellulose), or one of two CR treatments: unlimited access to a low-nutrient diet (68% cellulose) or intermittent access to the high-nutrient diet. For 33 days, we monitored survival to estimate effects on lifespan, and we determined reproductive success by monitoring weekly egg production and hatching success. Our results will clarify how two different types of CR– nutrient dilution and intermittent fasting– affect lifetime reproduction as a proxy for fitness.
