Table 3.

A summary of the main conclusions drawn by this study.

Hypothesis	Prediction	Observation	Conclusion
Trade-off between lifespan and reproduction.	Traits peak in different regions of nutrient landscape.	Females—prediction met. Males—prediction met in non-supplemented males but not in supplemented males.	Sex-specific trade-off, pronounced in females, weak in males.
Accumulation of oxidative damage causes aging.	Damage highest in short lived animals.	Generally, high damage, long lifespan.	Oxidative damage to proteins does not appear to mediate variation in lifespan within each sex, following dietary manipulation.
	Antioxidant supplementation improves lifespan.	No effect of antioxidants on survival.
Reproductive effort elevates oxidative stress.	High reproductive effort reduces antioxidant defences.	Mixed support: results depend on sex and supplementation status.	Association between oxidative damage and reproductive effort varies enormously across the sexes.
	High reproductive effort increases oxidative damage.
	Antioxidant supplementation improves reproductive effort.	Weak positive effect but not significant.