Survival Analysis of Bactrocera oleae Starvation Resistance During Senescence: The Interactive Influence of Diet, Mating Status, and Sex

Starvation resistance is a critical fitness trait for the olive fruit fly, <i>Bactrocera oleae</i> (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), influencing survival and reproductive success in fluctuating environments. This study investigates how age (15, 30, and 45 days), diet (full vs. restricted), and mating status (virgin vs. mated) affect the species' capacity to withstand food deprivation. A multifactorial experiment was conducted on 3600 adults, with survival data analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves, Log-Rank tests, and Tukey's HSD. The findings indicate that 15-day-old individuals generally exhibit superior starvation resistance compared to older cohorts. However, these patterns vary by sex and nutritional history. In virgin males on a restricted diet, resistance does not decline linearly with age, while in mated males on a full diet, age has no significant influence on survival. Conversely, in mated females on a full diet, a significant decline in resistance is observed only between the ages of 15 and 45 days. Additionally, for mated adults on a restricted diet, age was found to have a significant influence on survival. These results suggest that starvation resistance in <i>B. oleae</i> is not merely a function of chronological age but emerges from complex resource allocation trade-offs between somatic maintenance and reproductive investment.