EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE ON FECUNDITY, EGG-LAYING CAPACITY, DEVELOPMENT TIME AND LONGEVITY IN DROSOPHILA-PROSALTANS

In Drosophila prosaltans reared on culture medium with caffeine (50-mu-g/ml, 100-mu-g/ml, 1000-mu-g/ml and 1500-mu-g/ml), fecundity decreased with increasing dosage. Other effects were (a) an approximately one day increase in development time of flies at 1000 and 1500-mu-g/ml, (b) a decrease of egg laying capacity, with increasing dosage and (c) a decrease of longevity when virgin males and females or mated males were analyzed. Mated treated females, however showed, in most experiments, greater longevity than the controls, thus suggesting a benefit of the partial blockage of reproduction caused by caffeine.