title: Female access and diet affect insemination success, senescence, and the cost of reproduction in male Mexican fruit fliesAnastrepha ludens.
abstract: Hypotheses exploring the influence of dietary conditions on the life history trade-off between survival and reproductive success are extensively tested in female insects, but are rarely explored in males. Here, the impact of dietary quality and female access on age-specific reproduction and survival of male Mexican fruit flies,Anastrepha ludensLoew (Diptera: Tephritidae), are examined. There is a clear cost of female access for males with access to dietary protein, measurable as a decrease in life expectancy, which is further influenced by the age when females are introduced. A protein deficient diet reduces the lifespan benefit of virginity and masks the detrimental effect of female access on male life expectancy. Dietary protein is not necessary for reproductive success, but access to protein at eclosion improves the lifetime reproductive success of males compared to when it is delayed. Overall, reproductive success diminishes as the male flies age, regardless of the dietary conditions, providing evidence for reproductive senescence in males. Delaying the males' access to a protein source fails to influence the negative effect of age on reproductive ability. Because age specific reproductive rates decline with age, regardless of diet, male fitness does not benefit from lifespan extension. Therefore, males can be expected to allocate available resources towards reproductive effort in favour of extended lifespan, regardless of mate and protein availability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Harwood
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Kehui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad y Ambiente, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liedo
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Hans-Georg
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Jane-Ling
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Amy E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Morice
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A.
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Carey
keywords: Cost of mating; Tephritidae; life history trade-offs; male ageing; male reproduction; resource allocation; senescence