What does a fly's individual fecundity pattern look like? The dynamics of resource allocation in reproduction and ageing

Abstract

Reproduction is usually characterised by an average fecundity pattern having a maximum at earlier ages and a subsequent gradual decline later on. An individual fecundity trajectory does not follow such a pattern and has no maximum. A three-stage pattern, which includes maturation, maturity and reproductive senescence, is a more appropriate description. An analysis of the power balance of an adult female fly during its life course allows us to predict two critical periods in an individual life history. The first crisis occurs at early ages when the increasing power demand becomes greater than the power supply. It often results in premature death. The surviving flies enjoy maturity and lay eggs at a presumably constant rate. The second critical period at advanced ages ends up in a senescence-caused death. Our approach predicts that there will be a bimodal death time distribution for a population of flies.