Comparative reproductive success of communally breeding burying beetles as assessed by PCR with randomly amplified polymorphic DNA.

Abstract

To understand the evolution of alternative reproductive strategies such as communal breeding, it is important to recognize the options open to individuals and to evaluate their consequences. The relative reproductive success of individuals taking each option is one of the most important of these consequences. Burying beetles, Nicrophorus, are an excellent model system for the investigation of reproductive cooperation because they can breed in pairs or communally and provide extensive parental care. In this study, we examine the relationship of the duration of care and the reproductive success of each potentially communally breeding adult. Ten experimental broods reared on mouse carcasses were buried by two males and two females. Using PCR with single short primers that randomly amplify polymorphic DNA, we determined the maternity and paternity of 98.2% and 99.5% of the offspring (n = 217), respectively. In 70% of the broods, both females produced larvae, and in 70%, both males inseminated one or both females. The male and female providing longer care, usually the larger of each sex, were the mother and father of most larvae (50-100%

Mating competition and parentage assessment in Ptomascopus morio (Coleoptera: Silphidae): A case for resource defense polygyny

“…3). Paternity of the large males was about 76%, which is similar to that of N. tomentosus (about 70% in double-mating trials) (Scott & Williams, 1993). This indicates that the very high paternity of large males is independent of copulation frequency.…”

“…There is intraspecific competition for unburied carcasses and the larger individuals usually win (Bartlett & Ashworth, 1988;Otronen, 1988;Pukowski, 1933). Dominant males spend more time on a carcass attracting females than smaller males (Eggert, 1992) and thus achieve higher paternity (Eggert, 1992;Müller & Eggert, 1989;Scott & Williams, 1993;Trumbo & Fiore, 1991). Both males and females defend their carcass and brood even after larvae hatch by attacking intruders cooperatively (Robertson, 1993;Scott, 1990;Trumbo, 1990a;1994).…”

The Coolidge effect, individual recognition and selection for distinctive cuticular signatures in a burying beetle

“…On any carcass, suitable for reproduction or not, potential mates may be available for a limited time only. The losers of aggressive interactions on carcasses, subordinate males (Bartlett 1988) and females (Mü ller et al 1990), leave the carcass early (Bartlett 1988;Mü ller et al 1990Mü ller et al , 2007Scott & Williams 1993). Male or female intruders may leave quickly after unsuccessful attempts to take over the carcass from the original residents ( Trumbo 1990).…”

A reduced propensity to cooperate under enhanced exploitation risk in a social mammal

“…Indiscriminate care of young has been described for a number of communally breeding species such as beetles [15], birds [16], bats [17] and rodents [18]. Communal offspring care may also be conditional, because individuals can choose to participate in the public good (by forming a communal nest) [19][20][21] or nest solitarily instead. This is the case for house mice (Mus musculus domesticus), a species in which females show two different breeding strategies, rearing their young either solitarily, or communally together with one or several other females (Auclair et al [22] observed on average 2.2 + 0.1 (mean + s.e.)…”