intake is limited, the restriction usually occurs only during adulthood and longevity is often not

enhanced (Boggs and Ross 1993, Carey et al. 2002b, Cooper et al. 2004), contradicting the

nearly universal finding of increased lifespan under quantitative FR in many taxa. In addition, to

evaluate the costs of reproduction and the effects of dietary restriction on fitness in sexual

species, females must be allowed to mate. However, co-housing individuals complicates the

quantification of individual intake and can influence longevity due to the effects of crowding

(Joshi et al. 1998). To avoid such problems, reproductive output of virgin female insects is often

studied as a proxy for fitness, yet mating has been shown to enhance egg production in several

species where unmated females would otherwise lay infertile eggs (De Clercq and Degheele

1997, Foster and Howard 1999). Furthermore, the males of many species can alter the

physiology and behavior of females via sex peptides (Wolfner 1997, Gillott 2003, Carvalho et al.

2006) or nutritious nuptial gifts (Voigt et al. 2006). Lastly, sexual species incur a number of

costs associated with reproductive behaviors including courtship, repulsion of unwanted mates,

intrasexual competition, and locomotory costs of carrying mates during copulation (Watson et al.

1998).

 To overcome these obstacles, I adopted a novel approach to life-history experimentation by

using a parthenogenetic species as my animal model. Carausius morosus (Br.) (Phasmatodea,

Lonchodinae) is a relatively long-lived species that reproduces via obligate apomictic

parthenogenesis (Pijnacker 1966). Using a parthenogen as my animal model obviated the need

for mating while still permitting natural reproductive processes. This species is hemimetabolous

and phytophagous, allowing for life-long, quantitative dietary manipulations. Additionally, C.

morosus consumes the same food throughout its lifetime, enabling me to test dietary treatments

that spanned both juvenile and adult stages. My purpose was to determine the effects of