The Effects of Prior Environments on Tribolium castaneum

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Abstract
Populations of T. castaneum were raised as larvae and adults under the following 5 conditions: in isolation, as a crowded cohort, in a nutritionally deficient medium, in an ongoing population and in the presence of T. confusum. Their fecundity, cannibalism rates, fertility and mortality were subsequently assayed in an identical environment. These different environments imposed on immature beetles affected their development time and their subsequent fecundity and cannibalism rates as adults. No persistent effects were found for adult beetles subjected to these environments, although starvation temporarily reduced fecundity. Evidence for reproductive compensation in adults was found.