Meeting Abstract

P3-90   -   Regulation and consequences of protein and carbohydrate intake in the adult house cricket Acheta domesticus Berberi, R*; Jafri, M; Ramos, S; Shehzad, S; Clark, RM; Siena College, Loudonville, NY; Siena College, Loudonville, NY; Siena College, Loudonville, NY; Siena College, Loudonville, NY; Siena College, Loudonville, NY r11clark@gmail.com

The amounts and ratio of protein-to-carbohydrate in food have been shown to have profound impacts on animal feeding strategies and subsequent physiological allocation and use. In this study, we examined nutrient regulation strategies and nutrient allocation in the globally-widespread house cricket species Acheta domesticus, to expand understanding of these strategies across the omnivorous Gryllus insect group. We gave newly molted adult males and females a choice between two complementary diets that were equivalent in total caloric content, but that differed in the ratios of protein-to-carbohydrate, to allow crickets to self-select a preferred ratio and total amount of these two macronutrients. In addition to food intake, we then measured overall body mass gains and impacts on allocation to somatic and reproductive tissues. Outcomes from this experiment will be compared with intake and allocation patterns characterized for other Gryllus cricket species, to provide a more comprehensive picture of nutrient priorities and regulatory strategies across crickets.