TRADE-OFF BETWEEN DIAPAUSE AND OTHER LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS IN THE SPIDER-MITE TETRANYCHUS-URTICAE

1. Diapause is generally believed to entail costs that manifest themse lves as decreased survival, rate of development, and/or reproduction a fter diapause completion. The present study is a first step in investi gating such diapause costs in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. 2. The relationship was assessed between diapause duration and the post-d iapause life-history traits of longevity and egg production, under six photoperiods at 19 degrees C. 3. The relationship between diapause du ration and longevity was negative under five out of six treatments; in three cases this negative relationship was significant. 4. Most evide nt were the negative correlations between diapause duration and rate o f oviposition, peak rate of oviposition, and total egg production. The se phenotypic correlations suggest that there may be a trade-off betwe en diapause duration and postdiapause reproduction.