Effects Of Food Restriction Research Articles

Breeding zebra finches prioritize reproductive bout over self-maintenance under food restriction.

Reproduction requires high amounts of energy, and challenging environments during breeding can force parents to prioritize their current reproductive bout over self-maintenance or vice versa. However, little is known about how common stressors, such as food restriction, can influence these trade-offs during breeding, and the physiological mechanisms for these trade-off decisions. In this study, adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) were subjected to a control diet (ad libitum) or a 40% food restriction while raising nestlings and fledglings, and we measured body mass, furculum fat, plasma corticosterone (CORT) and blood glucose levels of the parents at the time of pairing, when their offspring fledged, and when their offspring reached nutritional independence. We also measured body mass and growth rate in the offspring from hatching until the end of the treatment period. Food-restricted parents had lower body mass when their offspring fledged and reached nutritional independence and higher baseline CORT when their offspring fledged compared to controls. Offspring did not differ in body mass or growth rate between treatment groups. However, there was no effect of food restriction on parents' furculum fat, baseline glucose, the adrenocortical response, or the glucose response. Furthermore, path analysis results suggest that alterations in baseline glucose is the primary driver of changes in body mass in parents and offspring brood mass. Taken together, these results suggest that food restriction during chick rearing in a short-lived passerine drives parents to prioritize their current reproductive bout over self-maintenance, and glucose could potentially be a mechanism for diverting energy toward parental effort.

Effects of food restriction on voluntary wheel-running behavior and body mass in selectively bred High Runner lines of mice

Food restriction can have profound effects on various aspects of behavior, physiology, and morphology. Such effects might be amplified in animals that are highly active, given that physical activity can represent a substantial fraction of the total daily energy budget. More specifically, some effects of food restriction could be associated with intrinsic, genetically based differences in the propensity or ability to perform physical activity. To address this possibility, we studied the effects of food restriction in four replicate lines of High Runner (HR) mice that have been selectively bred for high levels of voluntary wheel running. We hypothesized that HR mice would respond differently than mice from four non-selected Control (C) lines. Healthy adult females from generation 65 were housed individually with wheels and provided access to food and water ad libitum for experimental days 1–19 (Phase 1), which allowed mice to attain a plateau in daily running distances. Ad libitum food intake of each mouse was measured on days 20–22 (Phase 2). After this, each mouse experienced a 20 % food restriction for 7 days (days 24–30; Phase 3), and then a 40 % food restriction for 7 additional days (days 31–37; Phase 4). Mice were weighed on experimental days 1, 8, 9, 15, 20, and 23–37 and wheel-running activity was recorded continuously, in 1-minute bins, during the entire experiment. Repeated-measures ANOVA of daily wheel-running distance during Phases 2–4 indicated that HR mice always ran much more than C, with values being 3.29-fold higher during the ad libitum feeding trial, 3.58-fold higher with -20 % food, and 3.06-fold higher with -40 % food. Seven days of food restriction at -20 % did not significantly reduce wheel-running distance of either HR (-5.8 %, P = 0.0773) or C mice (-13.3 %, P = 0.2122). With 40 % restriction, HR mice showed a further decrease in daily wheel-running distance (P = 0.0797 vs. values at 20 % restriction), whereas C mice did not (P = 0.4068 vs. values at 20 % restriction) and recovered to levels similar to those on ad libitum food (P = 0.3634). For HR mice, daily running distances averaged 11.4 % lower at -40 % food versus baseline values (P = 0.0086), whereas for C mice no statistical difference existed (-4.8 %, P = 0.7004). Repeated-measures ANOVA of body mass during Phases 2–4 indicated a highly significant effect of food restriction (P = 0.0001), but no significant effect of linetype (P = 0.1764) and no interaction (P = 0.8524). Both HR and C mice had a significant reduction in body mass only when food rations were reduced by 40 % relative to ad libitum feeding, and even then the reductions averaged only -0.60 g for HR mice (-2.6 %) and -0.49 g (-2.0 %) for C mice. Overall, our results indicate a surprising insensitivity of body mass to food restriction in both high-activity (HR) and ordinary (C) mice, and also insensitivity of wheel running in the C lines of mice, thus calling for studies of compensatory mechanisms that allow this insensitivity.

Sex difference in the effect of environmental enrichment on food restriction-induced persistence of cocaine conditioned place preference and mechanistic underpinnings

Psychosocial and environmental factors, including loss of natural reward, contribute to the risk of drug abuse. Reward loss has been modeled in animals by removal from social or sexual contact, transfer from enriched to impoverished housing, or restriction of food. We previously showed that food restriction increases the unconditioned rewarding effects of abused drugs and the conditioned incentive effects of drug-paired environments. Mechanistic studies provided evidence of decreased basal dopamine (DA) transmission, adaptive upregulation of signaling downstream of D1 DA receptor stimulation, synaptic upscaling and incorporation of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs) in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of nucleus accumbens (NAc). These findings align with the still evolving ‘reward deficiency’ hypothesis of drug abuse. The present study tested whether a compound natural reward that is known to increase DA utilization, environmental enrichment, would prevent the persistent expression of cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) otherwise observed in food restricted rats, along with the mechanistic underpinnings. Because nearly all prior investigations of both food restriction and environmental enrichment effects on cocaine CPP were conducted in male rodents, both sexes were included in the present study. Results indicate that environmental enrichment curtailed the persistence of CPP expression, decreased signaling downstream of the D1R, and decreased the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in NAc MSNs of food restricted male, but not female, rats. The failure of environmental enrichment to significantly decrease food restriction-induced synaptic insertion of CP-AMPARs, and how this may accord with previous pharmacological findings that blockade of CP-AMPARs reverses behavioral effects of food restriction is discussed. In addition, it is speculated that estrous cycle-dependent fluctuations in DA release, receptor density and MSN excitability may obscure the effect of increased DA signaling during environmental enrichment, thereby interfering with development of the cellular and behavioral effects that enrichment produced in males.

Effects of food restriction for 3 or 7 days on toxicity-related parameters in rats

Effects of food restriction for 3 or 7 days on toxicity-related parameters in rats

Effect of Food Restriction on Food Grinding in Brandt's Voles.

Food grinding is supposed to be influenced by multiple factors. However, how those factors affecting this behavior remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of food restriction on food grinding in Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii), as well as the potential role of the gut microbiota in this process, through a comparison of the variations between voles with different food supplies. Food restriction reduced the relative amount of ground food to a greater extent than it lowered the relative food consumption, and altered the abundance of Staphylococcus, Aerococcus, Jeotgalicoccus, and Un--s-Clostridiaceae bacterium GM1. Fecal acetate content for the 7.5 g-food supply group was lower than that for the 15 g-food supply group. Our study indicated that food restriction could effectively inhibit food grinding. Further, Un--s-Clostridiaceae bacterium GM1 abundance, Aerococcus abundance, and acetate content were strongly related to food grinding. Variations in gut microbial abundance and short-chain fatty acid content induced by food restriction likely promote the inhibition of food grinding. These results could potentially provide guidance for reducing food waste during laboratory rodent maintenance.

Modulation of cue value and the augmentation of heroin seeking in chronically food-restricted male rats under withdrawal

Food restriction augments drug seeking in abstinent rats. The underlying motivational mechanisms, however, remain unclear. We hypothesized that caloric restriction enhances the incentive value attributed to drug-associated cues and, in turn, augments drug seeking. Male rats were trained to lever-press for heroin, and then moved to the animal colony for a forced-abstinence period. Rats were maintained on free access to food (Sated) or subjected to 14 days of food restriction (FDR). In a series of experiments, we assessed the effect of food-restriction on the incentive value of heroin-associated cues. Tests included performance under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement maintained by heroin-associated cues, acquisition of a novel operant response reinforced by drug-associated cues, effect of food-restriction on operant response reinforced by neutral cues, acquisition of a novel operant response reinforced by drug-associated or neutral cues, and the effect of food-restriction on operant response reinforced by drug-associated or neutral cues, under a discrete choice procedure.Food-restriction did not change breakpoints in PR maintained by heroin-associated cues. FDR rats acquired the novel response at a greater level compared to the Sated group. Food-restriction-induced increase in novel-response rate was observed for both heroin-paired and the neutral cue. Responding for a heroin-associated cue was greater than for the neutral cue in both Sated and FDR groups. Response rate for the neutral cue, however, was greater in the FDR versus Sated group.Our findings suggest that food restriction increases the conditioned motivational properties of environmental stimuli, including, but not exclusive to, heroin-paired cues.

Effect of food restriction on growth and response to vaccination in Arian broilers

Due to the increase in the price of inputs and the necessity of nutrition management; the effect of food restriction on performance, growth and immune response was investigated in 960 Arian breed broiler chickens (480 male & 480 female). Therefore, two periods of food restriction were considered separately in two treatment groups (at the second week and the sixth week) using four diluted rations (0, 20, 30 and 40%) in three replications in a completely randomized design. After analyzing the data, the average traits were compared with Duncan's multiple range test, the effect of food restriction on the immune response to ND, AI, IB and IBD vaccines was also investigated with serology on the 20th and 42nd days of rearing, According to the results , the broilers in the first group with 20% dilution diet reached the weight of the control group (p < 0.05) at the age of 42 days, also the corrected food conversion coefficient was improved and had compensatory growth; In the second group, the chicks could not reach the control group at the age of 42 days (p < 0.05) and the improvement percentage index (weight gain) was not favorable, and more time was needed to reach the appropriate improvement index, and the same time the ability to compensate for the delay in growth and improvement. The response of the immune system to vaccination against ND, AI, IB and IBD in both treatment groups with low food restriction (20%), improved and significantly differen from the control group (p < 0.05), the titers of the first group treatments it was better than the second group and it was lower in male than female chickens.

EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF SOME LIPOGENIC GENES AND FATTY ACID PROFILE OF LIVER IN FOOD-RESTRICTED RATS

This study aimed to determine food restriction effects on the profile of fatty acids and major genes on lipogenesis expressions in liver.16 Wistar albino rats were divided into two groups and different diets were given to groups for 4-weeks. First group was fed ad libitum (Control group), another group was fed the half amount of the daily requirement (Food Restriction group, FR). As well as weekly food consumption and body weight changes, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels were determined at the end of the feeding period. In addition to the fatty acid profile, FASN and SCD-1 genes expression levels were measured in the liver. While the body weight averages decreased after 7 days and remained similar, plasma glucose levels were found lower in the FR. FASN was upregulated approximately 6 folds, and SCD-1 increased insignificantly about 3 folds in the FR. C15:0, C18:1 n9 trans, C18:2 n6 cis, C21:0, C20:2, C20:5 n3, n6 and UFA were lower, while C16:0, C18:2 n6 trans, C20:3 n6, C22:6 n3, C22:1 n9, C22:2 and SFA were higher in FR. In addition to considering the exposure time and rate of food restriction, molecular activity and interactions in other metabolic organs should be investigated.

Effect of food restriction on survival and reproduction of a termite.

Food availability affects the trade-off between maintenance and reproduction in a wide range of organisms, but its effects on social insects remain poorly understood. In social insects, the maintenance-reproduction trade-off seems to be absent in individuals but may appear at the colony level, although this is rarely investigated. In this study, we restricted food availability in a termite species to test how it affects survival and reproduction, both at the individual and colony level. Using Bayesian multivariate response models, we found very minor effects of food restriction on the survival of queens, individual workers or on the colonies. In contrast, queen fecundity was significantly reduced, whereas colony-level fecundity (i.e., the number of dispersing alates, future reproductives) increased under food restriction as workers gave up cooperation within the colony and became alates that dispersed. Our study shows that life-history trade-offs can be mitigated by individuals' social behaviours in social organisms.

Intake and growth histories modulate bone morphology, microarchitecture, and mineralization in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Abstract Compensatory growth (CG) is accelerated growth that occurs when food availability increases after food restriction. This rapid growth may be associated with sublethal consequences. In this study, we investigated the effects of food restriction and subsequent realimentation and CG on bone structure in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Turtles were fed ad libitum food for 12 weeks (AL), restricted food for 12 weeks (R), or restricted food for 5 weeks followed by ad libitum food for 7 weeks (R-AL). R-AL turtles demonstrated partial CG via enhanced food conversion efficiency (FCE) upon realimentation. After the 12th week, gross morphology (GM), microarchitecture, and mineralization of the right humerus of each turtle were analyzed. Many GM measurements (including proximal and maximal bone lengths, bone widths, and shaft thickness), most measurements of bone microarchitecture (excluding cortical and trabecular thickness and trabecular separation), and all mineralization measurements were labile in response to intake. We examined the possibility that changes in nutrient allocation to bone structure during realimentation facilitated CG in previously food-restricted turtles. Restoration of bone lengths was prioritized over restoration of bone widths during CG. Furthermore, restoration of trabecular number, connectivity density, and bone volume fraction was prioritized over restoration of cortical bone volume fraction. Finally, diaphyseal bone mineralization was partially restored, whereas no restoration of epiphyseal bone mineralization occurred during CG. Shifts in nutrient allocation away from certain bone attributes during food restriction that were not rectified when food availability increased probably provided an energy surplus that enhanced the conversion of food to growth and thus powered the CG response. Our study revealed how resource allocation to various bone attributes is prioritized as nutritional conditions change during development. These “priority rules” may have detrimental consequences later in life, indicating that conservation of green turtle foraging grounds should be given high priority.

Food Restriction Augmented Alpha1-Adrenergic Mediated Contraction in Mesenteric Arteries.

Food restriction (FR) enhances sensitivity to cardiopulmonary reflexes and α1-adrenoreceptors in females in the presence of hypotension. However, the effect of FR on cardiopulmonary and vascular function in males is not well-understood. This study examines the effects of FR on cardiopulmonary, isolated arterial function, and potential underlying mechanisms. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups and monitored for 5weeks: (1) control (n = 30), (2) 20% food reduction (FR20, n = 30), and (3) 40% food reduction (FR40, n = 30). Non-invasive blood pressure was measured twice a week. Pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) was measured using isolated/perfused lungs. The isolated vascular reactivity was assessed using double-wire myographs. FR rats exhibited a lower mean arterial pressure and heart rate; however, only the FR40 group exhibited statistically significant differences. We observed that FR enhanced sensitivity (EC50) to vasoconstriction induced by the α1-adrenoreceptor phenylephrine (PhE) but not to serotonin, U46619, or high K+ in the mesenteric arteries. PhE-mediated vasoconstriction in the mesenteric arteries was eliminated in the presence of the eNOS inhibitor (L-NAME). In addition, incubation with NOX2/4 inhibitors (apocynin, GKT137831, and VAS2870) and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger inhibitor (Tiron) eliminated the differences in PhE-mediated vasoconstriction, but the cyclooxygenase inhibitor (indomethacin) in the mesenteric arteries did not. Augmentation of α1-adrenergic-mediated contraction via the inhibition of the eNOS-NO pathway increased the activation of ROS through NOX2/4 in response to FR. Reduced eNOS-NO signaling may be a pathophysiological counterbalance to prevent hypovolemic shock in response to FR.

Differential Effects of Food Restriction and Warming in the Two-Spotted Goby: Impaired Reproductive Performance and Stressed Offspring

Climate change is a growing threat to marine organisms and ecosystems, and it is already modifying ocean properties by, for example, increasing temperature and decreasing pH. Increasing water temperature may also lead to an impairment of primary productivity and an overall depletion of available zooplankton. Understanding how the crossover between warming and zooplankton availability impacts fish populations has paramount implications for conservation and mitigation strategies. Through a cross factorial design to test the effects of ocean temperature and food availability in a temperate marine teleost, Pomatochistus flavescens, we showed that hindered feeding impacted sheltering and avoidance behaviour. Also, low food availability impaired fish reproduction, particularly male reproduction, as the expression of cyp11b1, a gene with a pivotal role in the synthesis of the most important fish androgen, 11-ketotestosterone, was significantly reduced under a low food regime. In contrast, temperature alone did not affect reproductive success, but offspring showed increased saturated fatty acid content (embryos) and increased lipid peroxidation (larvae). Altogether, food availability had a stronger effect on fitness, showing that coping with elevated temperatures, an ability that may be expected in shallow-water fish, can be indirectly impacted, or even overwhelmed, by the effects of ocean warming on primary productivity and downstream ecological processes.

Effects of Food Restriction on PTGS2 and NRF2 Genes Expression Levels in Rat Testis

This study aimed to investigate the effects of food restriction on oxidative status at the molecular levels of the testis in rats. A total of 16 male Wistar rats were allocated to two groups (n=8) and fed for four weeks. The first group was control (Cont) and consumed food and water ad libitum. The second one, food-restricted group (FR) was presented half of the regular consumption. But the water was presented ad libitum. The feeding period was maintained for four weeks. At the end of the feeding period, rats were euthanized by cardiac blood sampling under anesthesia. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in testis tissue were determined and calculated as nmol/mg protein. In addition, Prosta-glandin-Endoperoxide Synthase 2 (PTGS2) and Nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (NRF2) genes expression levels were determined in testis tissue. While MDA and gene expression levels were found similar in groups, a positive correlation was found between PTGS2 and NRF2 genes (r=0.629; P<0.05). The molecular regulation of oxidative sta-tus was found strongly related with PTGS2 and NRF2 genes molecular activity in testis of rats. The obtained results were shown that the feeding period and restriction rate factors were mainly responsible for the oxidative status of testis tissue.

Iron Metabolism in Young Female Rats With Low Bone Mineral Density Induced by Food Restriction and Running Exercise

ObjectivesIt has been reported that more than 30% of female endurance athletes suffer from sports disorders such as fatigue fractures and anemia. This is due to excessive physical activity and extreme dietary restrictions to improve athletic performance. Deficiency of energy and nutrients leads to low energy availability, which causes various health problems. In recent years, it has been reported that bone health and iron deficiency interact via the endocrine system, suggesting that fatigue fractures and anemia may develop in association with each other. The purpose of this study was to determine iron metabolism in young female rats with low bone mineral density (BMD) induced by a combination food restriction under running exercise. MethodsFive-week-old Sprague-Dawley female rats were acclimatization period for 1 week and acclimated to treadmill running for 10 days. After that, the animals were divided into seven groups: the sedentary and ad libitum feeding (group F) and fed 90%, 70%, and 50% of the 3-day average of group F food intake in the sedentary (SED) or running exercise (EX) condition. Treadmill running exercise was performed at 25 m/min for 30 minutes. Fifteen days after the start of food restriction, blood and tibia were collected. The tibia was measured for BMD using the dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry method. The blood was measured for blood cell composition, serum iron, and ferritin. A two-way analysis of variance was used to examine the main effects and interactions of exercise and food restriction in six groups, excluding group F. We also evaluated the relationship between BMD of tibia and serum iron using Pearson’s product fraction correlation coefficient. ResultsFood restriction had significant main effects on causing lower body weight, BMD of tibia, and ferritin. Moreover, food restriction had significant main effects on causing higher serum iron. On the other hands, there were no significant main effects of food restriction on red blood cell corrected for hematocrit. There was a significant negative correlation between BMD of tibia and serum iron. ConclusionsOur study suggests that a food restriction increases serum iron in young female rats under running exercise condition and there is a correlation between low BMD and high serum iron. Funding SourcesFunding from the scientific research of University of Tsukuba.

Effects of food restriction and refeeding on bone callus: a study in rats during the growth phase

Effects of food restriction and refeeding on bone callus: a study in rats during the growth phase

Food restriction delays breeding and affects insulin‐like growth factor‐1, oxidative damage and haematocrit value before egg‐laying in female canaries

Environmental challenges, such as fluctuations in food availability, could influence reproductive investment. If resource availability is poor, individuals need to decide in which life‐history process they invest more energy and vital compounds, which determine the cost of reproduction. In resource allocation, the physiological pathways have important roles. The aim of our study was to examine whether food availability influenced physiological traits (insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) concentration, antioxidant capacity (OXY), level of oxidative damage (ROM) and haematocrit value) prior to egg‐laying in female canaries Serinus canaria. We also tested whether these physiological traits were associated with traits reflecting the reproductive investment in egg macro‐ (egg mass and yolk mass) and micronutrient content (eggshell biliverdin‐ and protoporphyrin‐based colouration). To test these questions we conducted a food restriction experiment with control and food‐restricted (72% of control food) groups. Our study showed that food‐restricted canary females delayed egg‐laying and the physiological traits differed between the groups. At the pre‐laying period, after 9–11 days of treatment, a reduction in plasma IGF‐1 concentration, ROM level and haematocrit value was detected in the control group, whereas in the food‐restricted group plasma IGF‐1 concentration increased, while ROM level and haematocrit value did not change. Plasma level of OXY was not influenced by treatment or breeding period. Plasma concentration of IGF‐1, haematocrit value and oxidative status before egg laying did not affect the egg characteristics. Our study highlights the importance of breeding stage when studying and interpreting the effects of food restriction on physiological traits of breeding birds. Moreover, our data suggest that nutritional limitation had an effect on the timing of egg‐laying that could be mediated by changes in physiological variables.

Maternal food restriction during pregnancy affects offspring development and swimming performance in a placental live-bearing fish.

ABSTRACTHow pregnant mothers allocate limited resources to different biological functions such as maintenance, somatic growth, and reproduction can have profound implications for early life development and survival of offspring. Here, we examined the effects of maternal food restriction during pregnancy on offspring in the matrotrophic (i.e. mother-nourishment throughout gestation) live-bearing fish species Phalloptychus januarius (Poeciliidae). We fed pregnant females with either low or high food levels for 6 weeks and quantified the consequences for offspring size and body fat at birth and 1 week after birth. We further measured fast-start escape performance of offspring at birth, as well as swimming kinematics during prey capture at 0, 2 and 7 days after birth. We found that the length of maternal food restriction during pregnancy negatively affected offspring dry mass and lean dry mass at birth, as well as body fat gain during the first week after birth. Moreover, it impacted the locomotor performance of offspring during prey capture at birth and during the first week after birth. We did not observe an effect of food restriction on fast-start escape performance of offspring. Our study suggests that matrotrophic poeciliid fish are maladapted to unpredictably fluctuating resource environments, because sudden reductions in maternal food availability during pregnancy result in smaller offspring with slower postnatal body fat gain and an inhibition of postnatal improving swimming skills during feeding, potentially leading to lower competitive abilities after birth.

Metabolic demands, sensory deficits: Tradeoffs in times of scarcity

The brain requires a lot of energy to carry out its functions at peak performance. In times of energy deficit, something has to give. In this issue of Neuron, Padamsey etal. (2021) explore how metabolic demands impact cortical coding by demonstrating the effects of food restriction on visual processing.

Corticosterone and Glucocorticoid Receptor in the Cortex of Rats during Aging-The Effects of Long-Term Food Restriction.

Numerous beneficial effects of food restriction on aging and age-related pathologies are well documented. It is also well-established that both short- and long-term food restriction regimens induce elevated circulating levels of glucocorticoids, stress-induced hormones produced by adrenal glands that can also exert deleterious effects on the brain. In the present study, we examined the effect of long-term food restriction on the glucocorticoid hormone/glucocorticoid receptor (GR) system in the cortex during aging, in 18- and 24-month-old rats. Corticosterone level was increased in the cortex of aged ad libitum-fed rats. Food restriction induced its further increase, accompanied with an increase in the level of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. However, alterations in the level of GR phosphorylated at Ser232 were not detected in animals on food restriction, in line with unaltered CDK5 level, the decrease of Hsp90, and an increase in a negative regulator of GR function, FKBP51. Moreover, our data revealed that reduced food intake prevented age-related increase in the levels of NFκB, gfap, and bax, confirming its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects. Along with an increase in the levels of c-fos, our study provides additional evidences that food restriction affects cortical responsiveness to glucocorticoids during aging.

Two sexes respond equally to food restriction in a sexually dimorphic but not body mass dimorphic jumping spider.

Natural selection favors animals that evolve developmental and behavioral responses that buffer the negative effects of food restrictions. These buffering responses vary both between species and within species. Many studies have shown sex‐specific responses to environmental changes, usually in species with sexual size dimorphism (SSD), less found in species with weak or no SSD, which suggests that sizes of different sexes are experiencing different selections. However, previous studies usually investigated development and behavior separately, and the balanced situation where males and females of sexually dimorphic species respond in the same way to food restriction remains little known. Here, we investigated this in Phintelloides versicolor (Salticidae) that presents sexual dimorphism in color and shape but weak SSD. We examined whether food restriction induced the same responses in males and females in development duration, adult body size and weight, daily time allocated to foraging, and hunting. We found food restriction induced similar responses in both sexes: both exhibited longer development duration, smaller adult body size and weight, higher probability of staying outside nests and noticing prey immediately, and higher hunting success. However, there were sexual differences regardless of food condition: females showed faster development, smaller adult body size, higher probability of staying outside of nests, and higher hunting success. These indicated the differential selection on male and female sizes of P. versicolor could be under a balanced situation, where males and females show equal developmental and behavioral plasticity to environmental constraints.