The pupal stage shapes life-history trade-offs across metamorphosis

Predation risk during the pupal stage in Aedes aegypti imposes greater life-history costs than larval exposure alone, with stage- and sex-specific effects on development, physiology, and adult fitness.

• Why it matters: Ecological stress is often studied as a simple larva–adult trade-off, but complex life cycles may integrate effects across multiple stages, leaving how later performance is shaped by each stage unclear.
• What they did: Using a multistage experiment in Aedes aegypti, individuals were exposed to predation risk during the larval stage, pupal stage, both stages, or neither, and developmental, physiological, and adult fitness traits were quantified.
• The result: Cumulative fitness costs were not observed across successive stages; males and females emerged faster under risk, but males showed reduced starvation resistance when pupal risk occurred, while females had enhanced reproductive performance when both stages were exposed.

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