Abstract
Animals are regularly exposed to oxidative stress (OS) through normal biological processes, such as reproduction and aging, and they increasingly experience OS due to environmental change. However, the fitness-related costs of OS may be mediated by dietary options and feeding decisions. Here, we used a nutritional geometry framework in female field crickets (Gryllus lineaticeps) to examine the interplay between dietary macronutrients (protein [P] and carbohydrate [C]) and OS related to feeding and allocation to life-history traits. During OS (paraquat exposure), females ate more food and allocated fewer ingested nutrients to ovaries in a low-quality diet, but they ate less food and allocated more toward ovaries when dietary options were available. Overall, exposure to OS promoted reproduction at an expense to self-maintenance. Because the macronutrient quality (P:C) of available foods is declining due to climate change, nutrition and feeding decisions may play important roles in mediating how OS shapes life-history tradeoffs.