Abstract
The effects of reproduction are variable among insects, as well as the time of mate. In animals, a trade-off is usually observed between reproduction and self-maintenance, mostly in females because of egg producing costs. In the present investigation, manifestations of aging and senescence at population and cellular levels were studied associated with the mating opportunities. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of mating on lifespan and also on the physiological aging in adult Jamaican field cricket females, Gryllus assimilis (Fabricius, 1775). Three experimental groups were set: virgin, normal-mated (14 days old), and late-mated (30 days old) insects. Lifespan, age-specific mortality rate, number of eggs laid, and in situ amount of the age-pigment neurolipofuscin were quantified. Results showed a trade-off between reproductive females and lifespan, with the strongest effects found in late-mated. Age-specific mortality showed a faster increase for late-mated females from 35 to 50 days old, followed by normal-mated females (35 to 60 days old). Virgins had the lowest age-specific mortality of all, increasing just from 65 to 73 days old. Normal-mated had the highest number of eggs laid, followed by late-mated and virgins, respectively. Neurolipofuscin accumulation rate was similar among groups, which was reflected in similar physiological rate of aging. Results indicate that reproductive status did affect the life-history of these field cricket females.
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Acknowledgments
Authors would like to thank MSc. Luciano de Pinho Martins for confirming the species studied taxonomically. First author is very gratefull to the undergraduate students who helped with the maintenance of the Jamaican field cricket colony: Cindy Siqueira Xavier and Michel Machado da Silva.
Funding
GML was financially supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)—Finance Code 001. Luiz Eduardo Maia Nery is a productivity fellow from CNPq (PQ 310830/2017-6).
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Guilherme Martins Limberger, Luiz Eduardo Maia Nery, and Duane Barros da Fonseca designed this research and wrote the manuscript with significant contributions from all. Guilherme Martins Limberger conducted all the experiments, with contributions of Duane Barros da Fonseca in the histological analysis of neurolipofuscin. The final manuscript was approved by all authors.
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Limberger, G.M., Nery, L.E.M. & Fonseca, D.B. Reproductive Status Modulates Mortality Rate, Lifespan and Egg Production, but Do Not the Physiological Aging in the Field Cricket Gryllus assimilis (Fabricius, 1775) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Neotrop Entomol 50, 237–246 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-020-00839-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-020-00839-x