The Evolutionary Loss of Paternal Care Is Associated With Shifts in Female Life-History Traits.

ABSTRACT: Parental care can increase the fitness of parents through increased offspring survival but can also reduce reproductive output by limiting time and energy allocated to additional mating opportunities. The evolutionary origin of parental care is often associated with shifts in life-history traits (e.g., high investment in few, large offspring, slow offspring growth), but little is known about whether the evolutionary loss of care is associated with reciprocal shifts in the same life-history traits. Here, we capitalize on the divergence of parental care between ecotypes of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) to test for associations between parental care and life-history traits. While males from most stickleback populations provide care, an unusual "white" ecotype

SUBMITTER: Behrens C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12015637 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature