How Life-history Traits and Mating Behaviour in Female Fall Field Crickets is Influenced by Macronutrient-ratio Specific Rearing Diets

Abstract

Nutrition can strongly influence life-history traits and behaviours related to sexual selection. An individuals ability to acquire and allocate nutrients has proven to be a pertinent driver behind individual variation within populations and between sexes. Organisms must acquire the ratio of essential nutrients appropriate for growth, reproduction, and survival. I investigated whether high-protein versus high-carbohydrate rearing diet [3:1 versus 1:3 protein:carbohydrate (P:C), respectively] fed during development and into adulthood influenced various life history traits and female mating behaviours in G. pennsylvanicus. I determined that a high-protein diet promoted growth, fecundity, responsiveness to mate calling, and mounting behaviour at the cost of survival. Whereas a high-carbohydrate diet promoted survival at the cost of growth and reproduction. My research highlights the inability of G. pennsylvanicus to maximize all lifehistory traits on a single diet resulting in life-history trait trade-offs between reproduction and survival and the role macronutrient-ratios play on female mating behaviour.