Lytton, Rachel2018-07-252018-07-252018-07-25https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2349926 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Biology and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Science, Spring 2013.Dietary restriction (DR) is a widely conserved intervention known to expand lifespan in worms, flies, mice and other organisms. Worms and flies undergo a hibernal diapause stage, and it remains poorly understood as to how DR interacts with diapause. We propose that the larval diapause of W. smithii, where individuals continue active metabolism with the capacity to feed and sequester lipids, represents a more relevant model for mammalian DR than the well-studied worms, flies and mice. Here we show that in the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii, DR experienced prior to diapause increases female adult longevity, diapause length increases male adult longevity and total survivorship, and DR during diapause increases survivorship. These findings have broad implications for understand whether diapause or a lowered metabolism increases in lifespan and reduces aging in model organisms.en-USCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USThesis / Dissertation