The early-life environment and individual plasticity in life-history traits.

ABSTRACT: We tested whether the early-life environment can influence the extent of individual plasticity in a life-history trait. We asked: can the early-life environment explain why, in response to the same adult environmental cue, some individuals invest more than others in current reproduction? Moreover, can it additionally explain why investment in current reproduction trades off against survival in some individuals, but is positively correlated with survival in others? We addressed these questions using the burying beetle, which breeds on small carcasses and sometimes carries phoretic mites. These mites breed alongside the beetle, on the same resource, and are a key component of the beetle's early-life environment. We exposed female beetles to mites twice during their lives: during their develo

SUBMITTER: De Gasperin O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6342119 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature