Keywords
burying beetle, reproductive cost, reproductive strategy, reproductive success
Abstract
Organisms are selected to maximize lifetime reproductive success by balancing the costs of current reproduction with costs to future survival and fecundity. Males and females typically face different reproductive costs, which makes comparisons of their reproductive strategies difficult. Burying beetles provide a unique system that allows us to compare the costs of reproduction between the sexes because males and females are capable of raising offspring together or alone and carcass preparation and offspring care represent the majority of reproductive costs for both sexes. Because both sexes perform the same functions of carcass preparation and offspring care, we predict that they would experience similar costs and have similar life history patterns. In this study we assess the cost of reproduction in male Nicrophorus orbicollis and compare to patterns observed in females. We compare the reproductive strategies of single males and females that provided pre- and post-hatching parental care. There is a cost to reproduction for both males and females, but the sexes respond to these costs differently. Females match brood size with carcass size, and thus maximize the lifetime number of offspring on a given size carcass. Males cull proportionately more offspring on all carcass sizes, and thus have a lower lifetime number of offspring compared to females. Females exhibit an adaptive reproductive strategy based on resource availability, but male reproductive strategies are not adaptive in relation to resource availability.
Original Publication Citation
Smith, A.N., J.C. Creighton, and M.C. Belk. 2015. Differences in patterns of reproductive allocation between the sexes in Nicrophorus orbicollis. Plos One 10:1-16.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Smith, Ashlee N.; Creighton, J. Curtis; and Belk, Mark C., "Differences in Patterns of Reproductive Allocation between the Sexes in Nicrophorus orbicollis" (2015). Faculty Publications. 5409.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/5409
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2015-11-24
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8141
Publisher
PLoS ONE
Language
English
College
Life Sciences
Department
Biology
Copyright Use Information
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