compensation because digestive efficiency may be maximized in animals consuming a

low-quality diet. Although I was unable to quantify the potential life-history costs of CG, my

methodology allowed me to assess the effects of different diet treatments on traits such as

development rate, longevity, and fecundity that could not be measured in C. mydas.

 Not surprisingly, insects that experienced food restriction prior to the onset of reproductive

activity progressed through juvenile stages more slowly and were smaller at each molt than

individuals feeding at a consistently high rate. These results provide support for the model of

Day and Rowe (2002) and suggest that development rate in response to food availability

represents a compromise between selection for maximized body size (because of its fitness

benefits) and selection against extended development time (because of its demographic costs)

(Rowe and Ludwig 1991).

 Although my results for age and size at developmental transitions are typical in studies of

this kind, the quantification of lifespan and cumulative fecundity in individuals with drastically

different developmental trajectories is a novel contribution of my research. My results indicate

that quantitative food restriction experienced early in development extended lifespan, as is

common in other animal models (e.g., Weindruch and Walford 1988, Austad 1989, Mair et al.

2003, Vaupel et al. 2003, Hatle et al. 2006b). However, this longevity enhancement resulted

from extended development time rather than enhanced adult survival. Conversely, food

restriction experienced later in development or at maturity significantly decreased total lifespan.

 In contrast to my results for longevity, food restriction imposed at any point during the

lifespan decreased fecundity. Putative fitness was therefore maximized when daily intake was

also maximized throughout life. These findings indicate that the beneficial effects of early-onset

food restriction on lifespan were negated by the detrimental effects on reproductive output.