Demographic changes in Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae) throughout the laboratory colonization process.

The demographic changes in Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) (Diptera: Tephritidae) throughout laboratory colonization were characterized over the course of 11 generations. Four significant changes were determined. The first change was a reduction in the preoviposition period from the G(p) to G(1). The second was that wild female flies had difficulty ovipositing in an artificial substrate, yielding the lowest fecundity rates observed throughout the experiment. The third significant change was a decrease in longevity and life expectancy from G(p) to G(1), which then continued to decrease with successive generations. This resulted in a lab strain with high fecundity limited to a short period of oviposition. The last significant change was a reduction in larval and pupal weight. In addition, larval recovery decreased from G(p) to G(1) but displayed rapid recovery over the course of generations. There was no change in adult emergences for all generations, and flight ability increased with successive generations. These changes were correlated with demographic parameters, indicating that the increased investment in early age reproduction incurs costs such as a reduction in life expectancy or fecundity later in life. This trend was also correlated with an increase in early fecundity and reduction in the oviposition period.