determined by food availability during the final instar(s) (Scriber and Slansky 1981). As a result,

ad libitum feeding early in life does not appear to provide a substantial fecundity benefit for

individuals that subsequently experience a decline in juvenile food availability. However, the

marginal dependence of ovariole number on food availability during the first few instars does

indicate that early nutritional conditions could potentially affect subsequent reproductive

function.

 Conversely, ad libitum feeding later in development and during adulthood provides

nutrients necessary for somatic maintenance. However, mass-specific intake declined after first

oviposition for both groups feeding ad libitum as reproductively active adults, suggesting either

that oogenesis and vitellogenesis are less costly than somatic growth during juvenile stages or

that digestive and reproductive functions decline with time due to senescence (Kindlmann et al.

2001, Carey et al. 2002a, Dixon and Agarwala 2002). Evidence for the latter hypothesis was

demonstrated by the lower mass-specific intake of R-AL at 5th insects, which matured at older

ages, compared to AL insects after first oviposition. I therefore conclude that adult survival and

reproductive decisions (such as age at first oviposition and initial oviposition rate) are based on

the extent of reserves accumulated prior to maturity, whereas fecundity depends on food

consumed during the reproductive lifespan in C. morosus. Perhaps not surprisingly, "capital"

breeders (sensu Stearns 1992) tend to demonstrate the opposite strategy, allocating stored

reserves to egg production and using adult-acquired nutrients to increase survival (e.g., Tammaru

et al. 1996).

 The apparent dependence of initial oviposition rate on accumulated body stores may result

from differences in hormone signaling induced by diet. In insects, the fat body serves as the main

depot for stored lipids and is responsible for synthesizing yolk proteins (e.g., vitellogenin) and