Nutritional plasticity in female fecundity: The impact of protein on egg production in Drosophila melanogaster

Plasticity is the capacity of an organism to acquire several forms depending on its environment and it allows organisms to adapt to a constantly changing environment. Changes in nutrition are especially important since they can result in the collapse of ecosystems. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to understand how animals can adapt to a nutritional environment that is in constant change. This thesis aims to enrich our knowledge of the role of nutritional plasticity in female fecundity and to understand how plasticity can generate diversity in mechanisms that respond to protein availability.