This dissertation is accessible only to the Illinois State University community.
- Off-Campus ISU Users: To download this item, click the "Off-Campus Download" button below. You will be prompted to log in with your ISU ULID and password.
- Non-ISU Users: Contact your library to request this item through interlibrary loan.
Date of Award
11-16-2018
Document Type
Dissertation-ISU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Ben M. Sadd
Second Advisor
Scott K. Sakaluk
Abstract
Infection can cause hosts to alter allocation to key life history traits. Infected individuals are generally expected to increase investment in defense (e.g., immune function) and, owing to underlying trade-offs, investment in other traits (e.g., current reproduction) is expected to decrease. However, the terminal investment hypothesis proposes that decreased lifespan due to infection, and the associated reduction in the expectation for future offspring, will favor increased investment in current reproduction to maximize lifetime reproductive success. Although terminal investment has been demonstrated in a wide array of taxa, its occurrence is not ubiquitous. I propose that conflicting findings can be reconciled if we consider terminal investment as a dynamic strategy with its expression contingent on context. For example, any factor that influences an individual’s expectation for future offspring (e.g., age) beyond the specific threat potentially cuing terminal investment may alter an individual’s propensity to adopt the strategy. I present a series of studies that address terminal investment and explore its dynamic nature across several important contexts using male decorated crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus), a species particularly amenable for large-scale assessments of reproduction, and more broadly, life history strategies.
Recommended Citation
Duffield, Kristin Rae, "Exploring The Terminal Investment Hypothesis In A Nuptial Gift-Giving Cricket Species, Gryllodes Sigillatus" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 1013.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/1013
DOI
http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2019.Duffield.K
Page Count
145
Comments
Imported from ProQuest Duffield_ilstu_0092E_11353.pdf