Rho Myung Suk, Lee Kwang Pum
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
J Exp Biol. 2025 Jun 15;228(12). doi: 10.1242/jeb.250281. Epub 2025 Jun 20.
Macronutrients profoundly affect both lifespan and reproduction and also modulate the fundamental trade-off between these two components of fitness in many insects. Beetles represent the largest group of insects, but nutritional interventions in lifespan and reproduction have never been thoroughly explored in this taxon. Here, we used nutritional landscape methodology to determine the effects of protein and carbohydrate intake on lifespan and reproduction in the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The time of death and last reproduction, the number of eggs laid and protein-carbohydrate intake were recorded from beetles maintained on one of 35 chemically defined foods varying in protein-to-carbohydrate ratio (P:C=0:1, 1:5, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 5:1 or 1:0) and in protein plus carbohydrate concentration (P+C=25.2%, 33.6%, 42%, 50.4% or 58.8%). Lifespan and reproductive traits increased with higher caloric intake, but their respective trait maxima occurred at different P:C ratios. Female reproductive traits peaked at higher P:C ratios (reproductive lifespan 1:1.06; lifetime egg production 1.31:1; egg production rate 1.75:1) than those maximizing lifespan (male lifespan 1:1.38; female lifespan 1:1.36). This divergence indicates a nutrient-mediated trade-off between lifespan and reproduction in this species. Despite this, the nutritional conflict in T. molitor appeared to be less pronounced than what has been observed in other species commonly used in insect ageing research. When given a food choice, T. molitor beetles selected a P:C ratio close to 1:1, which simultaneously supported extended lifespan and high reproductive output.
大量营养素对寿命和繁殖有着深远影响，并且在许多昆虫中调节着适合度这两个组成部分之间的基本权衡。甲虫是昆虫中最大的类群，但是在这个分类单元中，营养对寿命和繁殖的干预从未被彻底探究过。在这里，我们使用营养景观方法来确定蛋白质和碳水化合物摄入量对黄粉虫（鞘翅目：拟步甲科）寿命和繁殖的影响。记录了在35种化学定义的食物（蛋白质与碳水化合物比例不同，P:C = 0:1、1:5、1:2、1:1、2:1、5:1或1:0，蛋白质加碳水化合物浓度不同，P + C = 25.2%、33.6%、42%、50.4%或58.8%）之一上饲养的甲虫的死亡时间和最后一次繁殖时间、产卵数量以及蛋白质 - 碳水化合物摄入量。寿命和繁殖性状随着热量摄入的增加而增加，但其各自的性状最大值出现在不同的P:C比例下。雌性繁殖性状在比使寿命最大化的P:C比例更高时达到峰值（繁殖寿命1:1.06；终身产卵量1.31:1；产卵率1.75:1）（雄性寿命1:1.38；雌性寿命1:1.36）。这种差异表明该物种在寿命和繁殖之间存在营养介导的权衡。尽管如此，黄粉虫中的营养冲突似乎比在昆虫衰老研究中常用的其他物种中观察到的要不那么明显。当有食物选择时，黄粉虫甲虫选择的P:C比例接近1:1，这同时支持了延长的寿命和高繁殖产量。
