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Why does it take two to tango? Lifetime fitness consequences of parental care in a burying beetle

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  • Ashlee N Smith
  • J Curtis Creighton
  • Mark C Belk

Abstract

In species that require parental care, each parent can either care for their offspring or leave them in the care of the other parent. For each parent this creates three possible parental care strategies: biparental care, uniparental (male or female) care, and uniparental desertion by either the male or female. The burying beetle, Nicrophorus orbicollis, typically exhibits biparental care of offspring, and thus provides a unique system that allows us to compare the fitness benefits of these parental care strategies in an unconfounded way. In this study, we assess the lifetime fitness of biparental care, uniparental care, and uniparental desertion strategies in both male and female N. orbicollis. Specifically, we tested for increased fitness of the biparental care strategy compared to uniparental care strategies. Second, we test for equality of fitness between uniparental care and uniparental desertion strategies. Surprisingly, biparental care yields lower lifetime fitness for both parents compared to the other two strategies. Also, uniparental care and uniparental desertion strategies yielded equal fitness. The evolution of biparental care in this system is not consistent with the expectation of a mutual fitness benefit. We discuss other potential explanations for the evolution of biparental care in this system.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashlee N Smith & J Curtis Creighton & Mark C Belk, 2017. "Why does it take two to tango? Lifetime fitness consequences of parental care in a burying beetle," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0186466
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186466
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Victoria E. Lee & Megan L. Head & Mauricio J. Carter & Nick J. Royle, 2014. "Effects of age and experience on contest behavior in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 25(1), pages 172-179.
    2. Josef K. Müller & Veronika Braunisch & Wenbe Hwang & Anne-Katrin Eggert, 2007. "Alternative tactics and individual reproductive success in natural associations of the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 18(1), pages 196-203, January.
    3. J. Curtis Creighton, 2005. "Population density, body size, and phenotypic plasticity of brood size in a burying beetle," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 16(6), pages 1031-1036, November.
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