Longevity of mated and virgin Drosophila melanogaster flies was observ
ed at various gravity levels (1-7.38 g). A slight longevity decrease w
as observed in the 1-5.14 g range for virgin males, and a larger one i
n the 5.14-7.38 g range. The effect of gravity was larger for females
in the 1-5.14 g range, and at the highest gravity level, bot hsexes ha
d roughly the same longevity, which however remained high (around 40 d
ays). The longevity of mated flies was lower than that of virgins at 1
g, and only a slight longevity decrease was observed in the 1-7.38 g
range in females, this decrease being larger for males. Hypergravity a
ppears to have no dragmatic effects on life span and to be of lower im
portance than the simple effect of mating. This study confirms previou
s results obtained in the 1-5.02 g range with virgin flies (Le Bourg a
nd Lints. 1989).