Flexible females: nutritional state influences biparental cooperation in a burying beetle.

ABSTRACT: In species that provide biparental care, there is a sexual conflict between parents over how much each should contribute toward caring for their joint offspring. Theoretical models for the resolution of this conflict through behavioral negotiation between parents assume that parents cannot assess their partner's state directly but do so indirectly by monitoring their partner's contribution. Here, we test whether parents can assess their partner's state directly by investigating the effect of nutritional state on cooperation between parents in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. We used a two-by-two factorial design, in which a well-fed or food-deprived female was paired with a well-fed or food-deprived male. We found that females adjusted their level of care in response to

SUBMITTER: Lambert GA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10919768 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature