Testing the effects of DL-alpha-tocopherol supplementation on oxidative damage, total antioxidant protection and the sex-specific responses of reproductive effort and lifespan to dietary manipulation in Australian field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus)

C. Ruth Archer, Sarah Hempenstall, Nick J. Royle, Colin Selman, Sheridan Willis, James Rapkin, Jon D. Blount, John Hunt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The oxidative stress theory predicts that the accumulation of oxidative damage causes aging. More generally, oxidative damage could be a cost of reproduction that reduces survival. Both of these hypotheses have mixed empirical support. To better understand the life-history consequences of oxidative damage, we fed male and female Australian field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus) four diets differing in their protein and carbohydrate content, which have sex-specific effects on reproductive effort and lifespan. We supplemented half of these crickets with the vitamin E isoform DL-alpha-tocopherol and measured the effects of nutrient intake on lifespan, reproduction, oxidative damage and antioxidant protection. We found a clear trade-off between reproductive effort and lifespan in females but not in males. In direct contrast to the oxidative stress theory, crickets fed diets that improved their lifespan had high levels of oxidative damage to proteins. Supplementation with DL-alpha-tocopherol did not significantly improve lifespan or reproductive effort. However, males fed diets that increased their reproductive investment experienced high oxidative damage to proteins. While this suggests that male reproductive effort could elevate oxidative damage, this was not associated with reduced male survival. Overall, these results provide little evidence that oxidative damage plays a central role in mediating life-history trade-offs in T. commodus.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)768-692
Number of pages25
JournalAntioxidants
Volume4
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Open Access - Access Right Statement

©2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Keywords

  • Teleogryllus
  • free radicals (chemistry)
  • nutrition
  • oxidative stress
  • sexual selection
  • vitamin E

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