DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Evolution of Late-Life Fecundity

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The objective of this proposal is to test general theories of late life - both evolutionary andnon-evolutionary - using fecundity. Thus far, fecundity has been shown to plateau late in life andevolve according to evolutionary theory. Alternative non-evolutionary hypotheses have not beenable to satisfactorily explain these results, as late-life fecundity plateaus do not arise fromdiminished male sexual function, nutritional effects, or mortality-rate plateaus.The proposed experiments will specifically test the heterogeneity and antagonisticpleiotropy theories of late life, using Drosophila melanogaster. Heterogeneity in fecundity willbe tested by measuring lifetime individual fecundity within a large cohort and comparingfecundity patterns of females that survive to the fecundity plateau with those that do not.Antagonistic pleiotropy between late-life fecundity and early fitness will be tested using 25generations of selection for earlier reproduction, followed by a comparison of late-life fecunditybetween the early-reproducing cohorts and the original later-reproducing cohorts.