Female Lifespan Research Articles

MEIOK21 regulates oocyte quantity and quality via modulating meiotic recombination.

The reproductive life span of females is largely determined by the number and quality of oocytes. Previously, we identified MEIOK21 as a meiotic recombination regulator required for male fertility. Here, we characterize the important roles of MEIOK21 in regulating female meiosis and oocyte number and quality. MEIOK21 localizes at recombination sites as a component of recombination bridges in oogenesis like in spermatogenesis. Meiok21-/- female mice show subfertility. Consistently, the size of the primordial follicle pool in Meiok21-/- females is only ~40% of wild-type females because a great number of oocytes with defects in meiotic recombination and/or synapsis are eliminated. Furthermore, the numbers of primordial and growing follicles show a more marked decrease in an age-dependent manner compared with wild-type females. Further analysis shows Meiok21-/- oocytes also have reduced rates of germinal vesicle breakdown and the first polar body extrusion when cultured in vitro, indicating poor oocyte quality. Additionally, Meiok21-/- oocytes have more chromosomes bearing a single distally localized crossover (chiasmata), suggesting a possible defect in crossover maturation. Taken together, our findings indicate critical roles for MEIOK21 in ensuring the number and quality of oocytes in the follicles.

Sublethal effects of Milbemectin on biological parameters of Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Pesticides cause serious damage to agricultural and natural ecosystems. Knowing pesticides' side effects on non-target beneficial phytoseiids is crucial for integrated mite management (IMM) programs. One solution is to use biological agents and a low concentration of pesticides together. The present study was conducted to evaluate sublethal effects of acaricide Milbemectin (Milbecnock®) at LC5, LC15 and LC25 levels on development and reproduction parameters of Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Heneroit (Acari: Phytoseiidae) under laboratory conditions [25 ± 1°C, 70 ± 5% RH and 16:8 (L:D) hours]. Our results demonstrated that higher concentrations of Milbemectin (LC15 and LC25) had the most effect on the Longevity and the Total life span of both males and females of a predatory mite. The total life span in females was recorded from 42.67 days (Control) to 23.46 days (LC25 treatment). In an unusual observation, the oviposition period and also the total fecundity of the LC5 treatment have been 21.42 days and 37.31 offspring per individual, respectively. Which is recorded higher than the control treatment. These parameters were recorded in minimum value on the highest concentration treatment. Contrariwise the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and the finite rate of increase (λ) are not affected by sublethal concentrations of Milbemectin. The recommended dose of milbemectin based on the active ingredient is 10 ppm and the concentration obtained for LC5 is 27.92 ppm, which had a positive effect on fecundity and a slight imperceptible effect on the total life span reducing of the predatory mite. Sublethal effects of milbemectin and its impact on A. swirskii are discussed.

Complex effects of environment and Wolbachia infections on the life history of Drosophila melanogaster hosts.

Wolbachia bacteria are common endosymbionts of many arthropods found in gonads and various somatic tissues. They manipulate host reproduction to enhance their transmission and confer complex effects on fitness‐related traits. Some of these effects can serve to increase the survival and transmission efficiency of Wolbachia in the host population. The Wolbachia–Drosophila melanogaster system represents a powerful model to study the evolutionary dynamics of host–microbe interactions and infections. Over the past decades, there has been a replacement of the ancestral wMelCS Wolbachia variant by the more recent wMel variant in worldwide D. melanogaster populations, but the reasons remain unknown. To investigate how environmental change and genetic variation of the symbiont affect host developmental and adult life‐history traits, we compared effects of both Wolbachia variants and uninfected controls in wild‐caught D. melanogaster strains at three developmental temperatures. While Wolbachia did not influence any developmental life‐history traits, we found that both lifespan and fecundity of host females were increased without apparent fitness trade‐offs. Interestingly, wMelCS‐infected flies were more fecund than uninfected and wMel‐infected flies. By contrast, males infected with wMel died sooner, indicating sex‐specific effects of infection that are specific to the Wolbachia variant. Our study uncovered complex temperature‐specific effects of Wolbachia infections, which suggests that symbiont–host interactions in nature are strongly dependent on the genotypes of both partners and the thermal environment.

Estrogen, the Peripheral Immune System and Major Depression - A Reproductive Lifespan Perspective.

Major depression is a significant medical issue impacting millions of individuals worldwide. Identifying factors contributing to its manifestation has been a subject of intense investigation for decades and several targets have emerged including sex hormones and the immune system. Indeed, an extensive body of literature has demonstrated that sex hormones play a critical role in modulating brain function and impacting mental health, especially among female organisms. Emerging findings also indicate an inflammatory etiology of major depression, revealing new opportunities to supplement, or even supersede, currently available pharmacological interventions in some patient populations. Given the established sex differences in immunity and the profound impact of fluctuations of sex hormone levels on the immune system within the female, interrogating how the endocrine, nervous, and immune systems converge to impact women’s mental health is warranted. Here, we review the impacts of endogenous estrogens as well as exogenously administered estrogen-containing therapies on affect and immunity and discuss these observations in the context of distinct reproductive milestones across the female lifespan. A theoretical framework and important considerations for additional study in regards to mental health and major depression are provided.

Healthy Vaginal Microbiota and Influence of Probiotics Across the Female Life Span.

Vaginal microbiota plays a central role in women’s health and reproduction. Vaginal microbiota is dynamic and shaped by hormonal shifts in each stage of a woman’s life from pre-puberty to postmenopause. Current research has mainly focused on vaginal bacterial and fungal members of the community and emphasized their role in disease. However, the impact of balanced vaginal microbiota on health and its interaction with the host is yet poorly understood. High abundance of vaginal lactobacilli is most strongly associated with health, but the concept of health may vary as vaginal dysbiosis may be asymptomatic. Furthermore, there is a lot of variation between ethnic groups in terms of dominating vaginal bacteria. Probiotic lactobacilli could be a safe and natural means to balance and maintain healthy vaginal microbiota. Research evidence is accumulating on their role in supporting women’s health throughout life. This review describes the current literature on vaginal microbiota, the major factors affecting its composition, and how the communities change in different life stages. Furthermore, we focused on reviewing available literature on probiotics and their impact on vaginal microbiota and health.

How evolutionary biology can explain why human and a few marine mammal females are the only ones that are menopausal

Two fundamental questions related to menopause that have not been answered are: (1) why does menopause even occur? And, (2) of the more than six thousand known mammals extant today, why human and four whale females are the only ones that are menopausal? Answers to both of these basic questions are provided here on the basis of evolutionary biology. From observational data, it was found that there are three elemental criteria that all menopausal species must fulfill: first, it has to be long-lived (average female lifespan of the species has to be forty years or more); second, it must live in groups; and third, the average female-male lifespan differential has to be at least thirty percent or more. In addition, a corollary criterion for menopause was also established: for a species’ females to be menopausal, the Encephalization Quotient (EQ) for the species has to be 2.5 or more. Though humans do not fulfill the third menopausal criterion currently, it has been shown that when the menopausal mechanism first became common in human ancestors, in all likelihood, that principle was conformed to. Of the multitude of mammals around, only a few species satisfy all three menopausal criteria, and hence are the only ones whose females undergo the menopausal process. Many hitherto unanswered questions with respect to menopause, such as, while long and short-finned pilot whales are close to each other both genetically and physiologically, why short-finned females are menopausal while long-finned females are not, why orca females are menopausal while elephant females are not, in spite of both being long-lived, etc., can be answered on the basis of those three criteria. Why there was no selection pressure for males to undergo advanced-age reproductive cessation in those few menopausal species and why the majority of divorces occur in mid-life (40-to-60s) are also explained from a menopausal perspective.

Fetal exposure of Aristolochic Acid I undermines ovarian reserve by disturbing primordial folliculogenesis

The primordial follicle pool established in early life determines the ovarian reserve in the female reproductive lifespan. Premature exhaustion of primordial follicles contributes to primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), that is dependent by the initial size of the primordial follicle pool and by the rate of its activation and depletion. AAI, a powerful nephrotoxin with carcinogenic potential, is present in the Aristolochiaceae species, which can release AAI into soil as a persistent pollutant. In order to assess the potential risk of Aristolochic Acid I (AAI) exposure on mammalian oogenesis, we uncovered its adverse effect on primordial folliculogenesis in the neonatal mouse ovary and its effect on female fertility in adulthood. Pregnant mice were orally administrated with doses of AAI without hepatic or renal toxicity during late-gestation. Ovaries from offspring of administered female displayed gross aberrations during primordial folliculogenesis. Also, unenclosed oocytes in germ-cell cysts showed increased DNA damage. Furthermore, several key factors, including NANOS3, SOX9, KLF4, that govern early gonad’s differentiation were abnormally expressed in the exposed ovary, while the follicle formation was partially restored by knockdown of Nanos3 or sox9. In adulthood, these aberrations evolved into a significant reduction in offspring number and impaired ovarian reserve. Together, our results show that AAI influences primordial folliculogenesis and, importantly, affected female fertility. This study shows that administration of drugs herbs or consumption of vegetables that contain AAs during pregnancy may adversely influence the fertility of offspring.

Perinatal low-fat dietary intervention affects glucose metabolism in female adult and aging offspring.

Diabetes confers a high risk of developing poor health in later life in women. Based on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease theory, the present study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of perinatal fat restriction in maternal high-fat-exposed female offspring to maintain glucose homeostasis in later life between adulthood and aging. Low-fat dietary intervention during either gestation or lactation was performed using a high-fat diet-induced maternal obesity mouse model (HFD mice). Physiological metabolic parameters, including body weight and serum levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides, were monitored. Glucose tolerance test and insulin sensitivity test were performed in 12- and 70-week-old offspring. Insulin-positive islet cells were also observed using immunohistochemical staining. HFD significantly induced abnormal weight gain, hyperlipidemia and impairment of both glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in offspring. Standard diet intake after weaning improved weight gain, serum total cholesterol level and glucose tolerance, but not insulin sensitivity, in 70-week-old offspring. Only perinatal fat restriction during both gestation and lactation, followed by standard food intake for the rest of their life, provided adequate efficacy to restore insulin sensitivity in aging female progeny. Perinatal low-fat intervention may prevent deterioration of glucose metabolism. To improve the health status over a female's lifespan, appropriate nutritional intervention during the early developmental stage may reset the disease trajectory and prevent the onset and development of diabetes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 441-448.

Sex peptide receipt alters macronutrient utilization but not optimal yeast-sugar ratio in Drosophila melanogaster females

Upon mating, females alter a multitude of physiological and morphological traits to accommodate the demands of reproduction. Changes not only include reproductive tissues but also non-reproductive tissues. For example, in Drosophila melanogaster the gut increases in circumference after mating, likely to facilitate a higher absorption and provision of macronutrients to maturing eggs. A male ejaculatory protein, the sex peptide, is instrumental to mediating several post-mating changes and receipt increases nutrient uptake as well as shifts taste preferences in mated females. We here tested whether sex peptide receipt also alters the protein: carbohydrate ratio at which females maximize their fitness. To test this, we mated females to males lacking sex peptide or control males and fed them with known volumes and concentrations of sugar and yeast. This enabled us to determine how the sugar to yeast ratio affects lifetime egg output as well as lifespan of females mated to the two male types. Sex peptide did not shift the optimal ratio. Instead, sex peptide receipt aided females in increasing their egg output at low macronutrient concentrations, but this advantage disappeared at higher macronutrient intake rates. Assuming that nutrient limitation might be common, then receipt of SP is beneficial under poor conditions.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through the female lifespan: the role of sex hormones.

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) differs between various stages of the female lifespan. The aim of this review is to summarize current evidence on the association of NAFLD and circulating sex hormones and to explore the pathogenesis of NAFLD within the context of (1) sex hormone changes during the reproductive, post-reproductive female life and beyond and (2) the in vitro and in vivo evidence on pharmacological modulation in women on menopausal hormone treatment (MHT) or endocrine therapy after breast cancer. The fluctuation in estrogen concentrations, the relative androgen excess, and the age-related reduction in sex hormone-binding globulin are related to increased NAFLD risk. Moreover, the peri-menopausal changes in body composition and insulin resistance might contribute to the increased NAFLD risk. Whether MHT prevents or improves NAFLD in this population remains an open question. Studies in women with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen or non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors point to their adverse effects on NAFLD development, although a more pronounced effect of tamoxifen is reported. Future studies focusing on the underlying pathogenesis should identify subgroups with the highest risk of NAFLD development and progression into more aggressive forms, as well as elucidate the role of hormone therapies, such as MHT.

Genetic and social contributions to sex differences in lifespan in Drosophila serrata.

Sex differences in lifespan remain an intriguing puzzle in evolutionary biology. While explanations range from sex differences in selection to sex differences in the expression of recessive lifespan‐altering mutations (via X‐linkage), little consensus has been reached. One unresolved issue is the extent to which genetic influences on lifespan dimorphism are modulated by the environment. For example, studies have shown that sex differences in lifespan can either increase or decrease depending upon the social environment. Here, we took an experimental approach, manipulating multiple axes of the social environment across inbred long‐ and short‐lived genotypes and their reciprocal F1s in the fly Drosophila serrata. Our results reveal strong genetic effects and subtle yet significant genotype‐by‐environment interactions for male and female lifespan, specifically due to both population density and mating status. Further, our data do not support the idea that unconditional expression of deleterious X‐linked recessive alleles in heterogametic males accounts for lower male lifespan.

Several local food plants with the potential as hosts for Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract. Nelly N, Hamid H, Lina EC, Yunisman, Hidrayani, Widyasari DM. 2022. Several local food plants with the potential as hosts for Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Biodiversitas 23: 1693-1699. Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) or abbreviated as FAW is a major invasive pest of corn crops in America, its native country. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of several plant types as hosts on FAW biology and reproduction. It was conducted at the Insect Bioecology Laboratory, Department of Plant Protection, Andalas University using a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 treatments and 4 replications. The FAW larvae from the field were fed with different plant leaves, namely corn (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), soybeans (Glycine max), and reared until the second generation. Meanwhile, the larvae in the second generation were used as test insects with different feed treatments. Observations were made on the morphology and life parameters of FAW, including the length of the stadia, egg, larvae, pupae, and adult, as well as the laying time and pattern, with the number of eggs produced. The results showed that there were no morphological differences in S. frugiperda, except for the size. Moreover, the body size of the adult-derived from larvae fed with soybean leaves, namely 25.95 mm, was the smallest compared to corn and rice, while the shortest time for larvae development from instar I to VI was obtained with corn leaf feed for 13.55 days. The life span of females derived from larvae fed on soybean leaves was shorter than the others. Larvae fed on soybeans, female life span was 26.00, rice was 34.00 and corn was 31.44 days. Adult females of larvae given soybean leaves produced the highest number of eggs (879.44 eggs) compared to rice (505.00 eggs) and maize (546.33 eggs). Local food crops other than corn, namely rice and soybeans, can be potential hosts for S. frugiperda.

Chromosome Segregation in the Oocyte: What Goes Wrong during Aging.

Human female fertility and reproductive lifespan decrease significantly with age, resulting in an extended post-reproductive period. The central dogma in human female reproduction contains two important aspects. One is the pool of oocytes in the human ovary (the ovarian reserve; approximately 106 at birth), which diminishes throughout life until menopause around the age of 50 (approximately 103 oocytes) in women. The second is the quality of oocytes, including the correctness of meiotic divisions, among other factors. Notably, the increased rate of sub- and infertility, aneuploidy, miscarriages, and birth defects are associated with advanced maternal age, especially in women above 35 years of age. This postponement is also relevant for human evolution; decades ago, the female aging-related fertility drop was not as important as it is today because women were having their children at a younger age. Spindle assembly is crucial for chromosome segregation during each cell division and oocyte maturation, making it an important event for euploidy. Consequently, aberrations in this segregation process, especially during the first meiotic division in human eggs, can lead to implantation failure or spontaneous abortion. Today, human reproductive medicine is also facing a high prevalence of aneuploidy, even in young females. However, the shift in the reproductive phase of humans and the strong increase in errors make the problem much more dramatic at later stages of the female reproductive phase. Aneuploidy in human eggs could be the result of the non-disjunction of entire chromosomes or sister chromatids during oocyte meiosis, but partial or segmental aneuploidies are also relevant. In this review, we intend to describe the relevance of the spindle apparatus during oocyte maturation for proper chromosome segregation in the context of maternal aging and the female reproductive lifespan.

The Extension of Foundress Life Span and the Evolution of Eusociality in the Hymenoptera.

AbstractThe evolution of effectively sterile workers in the aculeate Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and stinging wasps) requires that a female's life span largely overlap that of her daughters. The evolution of long nest foundress life spans in eusocial species from the short life spans of solitary species is investigated. Analyses that control for phylogeny show for the first time that foundress adult life span increases and first-brood offspring development time decreases with increasing colony size, resulting in the ratio of foundress adult life span to worker total life span increasing with increasing colony size. These patterns support the hypothesis that the reproductive division of labor increases with increasing colony size, explaining the evolution of effectively sterile workers in species with large colonies. However, there is a discrete increase in foundress adult life span in the transition from noneusociality to eusociality that is independent of colony size. An analysis of life history characters suggests that this increase is explained by nests being founded by multiple females and progressive feeding of larvae as they develop. A reduced rate of senescence of a dominant cofoundress may be selected as a plastic response to social status if high-risk tasks performed by subordinate cofoundresses reduce the dominant's extrinsic mortality rate. Multiple-foundress nests in which one female is responsible for most or all of the reproduction (semisociality) and in which foundresses are full sisters are favored by haplodiploidy, perhaps explaining why eusociality is so common in the Hymenoptera.

Mapping sex differences in the effects of protein and carbohydrates on lifespan and reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster: is measuring nutrient intake essential?

Understanding how diet affects reproduction and survival is a central aim in evolutionary biology. Although this relationship is likely to differ between the sexes, we lack data relating diet to male reproductive traits. One exception to this general pattern is Drosophila melanogaster, where male dietary intake was quantified using the CApillary FEeder (CAFE) method. However, CAFE feeding reduces D. melanogaster survival and reproduction, so may distort diet-fitness outcomes. Here, we use the Geometric Framework of Nutrition to create nutrient landscapes that map sex-specific relationships between protein, carbohydrate, lifespan and reproduction in D. melanogaster. Rather than creating landscapes with consumption data, we map traits onto the nutrient composition of forty agar-based diets, generating broad coverage of nutrient space. We find that male and female lifespan was maximised on low protein, high carbohydrate blends (~ 1P:15.9C). This nutrient ratio also maximised male reproductive rates, but females required more protein to maximise daily fecundity (1P:1.22C). These results are consistent with CAFE assay outcomes. However, the approach employed here improved female fitness relative to CAFE assays, while effects of agar versus CAFE feeding on male fitness traits depended on the nutrient composition of experimental diets. We suggest that informative nutrient landscapes can be made without measuring individual nutrient intake and that in many cases, this may be preferable to using the CAFE approach. The most appropriate method will depend on the question and species being studied, but the approach adopted here has the advantage of creating nutritional landscapes when dietary intake is hard to quantify.

Loneliness influences male and female life expectancy differently in Callosobruchus

Loneliness and isolation can affect animals' biological parameters. We used Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius, 1775) as a model insect to study whether hope and motivation could modify the effects of loneliness. Our results show that temporary or constant seeing another conspecific could affect longevity, mating behavior, egg number, and hatch percentage. In C. maculatus that lives alone for a lifetime, continually seeing the opposite sex in another container and being deprived of mating increases the male's and decreases the female's lifespan. A short time (10 min) seeing a conspecific behind a translucent screen can increase male and female longevity. Female longevity increases regardless of the observed conspecific sex. However, only seeing a female could raise male longevity. A glance of a conspecific and knowledge of the someone existence improves hope and life expectancy due to motivation of mating and transferring genes to later generation.

Comparison of biological characteristics of the predatory mite Blattisocius mali (Acari: Blattisocidae) reared on frozen eggs of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridae) alone and in combination with cattail and olive pollens

Blattisocius mali (Oudemans), known as a predator of some species of storage pest mites, was reared on frozen eggs of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) alone (Tp) but also supplemented with cattail (Tp + cattail) and olive (Tp + olive) pollen. Life table parameters of B. mali were evaluated in the first (G1), eighth (G8) and sixteenth (G16) generation on the three different diets. Survival of the immatures of the predator was not affected by the tested diets, whereas it significantly differed among generations. The highest and lowest mortality was observed in the G8 and G1 generations, respectively, on all diets. Except for the total pre-oviposition period (TPOP) and the adult pre-oviposition period (APOP), all life table parameters of B. mali were affected by the different diets; In G1, supplementation of (Tp) with both pollens significantly increased the fecundity, oviposition period and female life span of B. mali. Population growth parameters of the predator like intrinsic rate of increase (r), net reproductive rate (R0) and finite rate of increase (λ) significantly increased with the supplementation of (Tp) with cattail pollen. However, in G8 and G16, B. mali reared on the two combinations significantly showed the lowest values of oviposition period, female and male life span and mean generation time (T) (only F8). Except for female and male developmental times and TPOP, other biological parameters of B. mali significantly differ across generations. Adding both pollens to the frozen eggs of the prey mite, significantly decreased fecundity, oviposition period, female and male life span and population parameters such as (r), (T), (λ) of B. mali in G16 compared with G1. With comparison of the effects of diet through the generations on biological and population parameters of B. mali, it is concluded that frozen eggs of T. putrescentiae is strongly advisable for mass-rearing of the predator and mixed frozen diets (containing pollen) is suggested as supplemental diet for establishment of the predator after release.

The effects of lambda-cyhalothrin and bifenthrin resistance on the fitness of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Lambda-cyhalothrin and bifenthrin from pyrethroids have been used for many years to control the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), which causes serious economic damage in many cultivated and ornamental plants worldwide. In this study, resistant populations previously selected in the laboratory with lambda cyhalothrin and bifenthrin (LR and BR, respectively) were compared with the susceptible strain GSS to assess the effect of the resistance on fitness. Life tables were created by using some biological parameters such as development time, fecundity and adult longevity. Data analysis revealed that lambda-cyhalothrin and bifenthrin resistant populations of T. urticae had no fitness disadvantages. The relative fitness values of the LR (1.09) and BR (1.19) populations also showed an advantage over the susceptible population. Total development and generation time were prolonged in both resistant populations. In the LR population, the life span of the adult females was prolonged, whereas the rm value was found to increase in the BR population. Total fecundity and egg hatchability were also found to be higher in both resistant populations than the susceptible strain GSS. The net reproduction rate (R0), one of the life table parameters, was significantly increased in the LR and BR populations. In this study, lambda-cyhalothrin and bifenthrin resistance affected some biological parameters in T.urticae, but the resistance did not produce a loss of fitness in the LR and BR populations. These findings have significant implications for resistance management strategies in terms of the state and management of resistance.

Imaging and tracing the pattern of adult ovarian angiogenesis implies a strategy against female reproductive aging.

Robust angiogenesis is continuously active in ovaries to remodel the ovary-body connections in mammals, but understanding of this unique process remains elusive. Here, we performed high-resolution, three-dimensional ovarian vascular imaging and traced the pattern of ovarian angiogenesis and vascular development in the long term. We found that angiogenesis was mainly active on ovarian follicles and corpus luteum and that robust angiogenesis constructs independent but temporary vascular networks for each follicle. Based on the pattern of ovarian angiogenesis, we designed an angiogenesis-blocking strategy by axitinib administration to young females, and we found that the temporary suppression of angiogenesis paused ovarian development and kept the ovarian reserve in the long term, leading to postponed ovarian senescence and an extension of the female reproductive life span. Together, by uncovering the detailed model of physiological ovarian angiogenesis, our experiments suggest a potential approach to delay female reproductive aging through the manipulation of angiogenesis.

Biological parameters and host preference of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) on different Pleurotus ostreatus cultivars

Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridae) is a destructive pest of edible fungi. Different species of edible fungi have variable effects on the growth, development and fecundity of T. putrescentiae, but it is unclear whether these effects exist in the same species. We used nine cultivars of the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) to evaluate the development and reproduction parameters of T. putrescentiae at 26 ± 1°C and 80 ± 5% humidity. Different P. ostreatus cultivars had significant effects on the immature stages, female fertility, and reproductive lifespan. Total egg-to-adult development time ranged from 10.0 ± 1.2 d (on Po389 cultivar) to 12.5 ± 1.0 d (on Po62 cultivar). Mite mortality ranged from 54.3 ± 4.2% (on Po86 cultivar) to 100.0 ± 0.0% (on Po62 cultivar). The number of eggs laid per female ranged from 3.2 ± 0.4 (on Po45 cultivar) to 9.1 ± 1.1 (on Po86 cultivar). The average lifespan of females ranged from 3.0 ± 0.5 d (on Po45 cultivar) to 16.3 ± 1.7 d (on Po86 cultivar). Host preference of the mite was significantly different among the nine cultivars with a preference for cultivars Po65, Po80, Po389, and Po86. These results indicate that P. ostreatus cultivars significantly affect the biology of T. putrescentiae and the relationship between mite damage and mushroom yield.