Data from: Effects of macronutrient intake on the lifespan and fecundity of the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Tephritidae): extreme lifespan in a host specialist.

In insects, lifespan and reproduction are strongly associated with
nutrition. The ratio and amount of nutrients individuals consume affects
their life expectancy and reproductive investment. The geometric framework
(GF) enables us to explore how animals regulate their intake of multiple
nutrients simultaneously and determine how these nutrients interact to
affect life history traits of interest. Studies using the GF on
host-generalist tephritid flies have highlighted trade-offs between
longevity and reproductive effort in females, mediated by the protein to
carbohydrate (P:C) ratio that individuals consume. Here, we tested how P
and C intake affect lifespan (LS) in both sexes, and female lifetime (LEP)
and daily (DEP) egg production, in Ceratitis cosyra, a host-specialist
tephritid fly. We then determined the P:C ratio that C. cosyra defends
when offered a choice of foods. Female LS was optimised at a 0:1 P:C ratio
whereas to maximise their fecundity females needed to consume a higher P:C
ratio (LEP = 1:6 P:C; DEP = 1:2.5 P:C). In males, LS was also optimised at
a low P:C ratio of 1:10. However, when given the opportunity to regulate
their intake, both sexes actively defended a 1:3 P:C ratio, which is
closer to the target for DEP than either LS or LEP. Our results show that
female C. cosyra experienced a moderate trade-off between LS and
fecundity. Moreover, the diets that maximised expression of LEP and DEP
were of lower P:C ratio than those required for optimal expression of
these traits in host-generalist tephritids or other generalist insects.