An offspring signal of quality affects the timing of future parental reproduction
An offspring signal of quality affects the timing of future parental reproduction
复制标题
后代的质量信号会影响未来亲本繁殖的时间
作者：
F. Mas;M. Kölliker
众所周知，后代的引诱信号会影响父母的行为，通常认为这种行为影响会转化为对父母剩余生殖的影响。然而，关于后代信号引起的行为和生殖影响的这种等价性假设在很大程度上仍未得到检验。在这里，我们测试了质量的化学后代信号对欧洲耳垢(Forfrula Aurularia)未来繁殖的相对时间和数量的影响。我们控制了耳若虫的营养状况，并将雌虫暴露在其提取物或溶剂中作为对照。暴露处理对第二窝窝产卵量没有显著的主效应，但暴露于饱食性若虫的提取物可以预测第二窝窝相对于第一窝窝产仔的时间。这一结果首次表明，在没有任何母体行为的情况下，后代信号本身可能通过影响母体生殖生理来影响母体的生殖时机。
Solicitation signals by offspring are well known to influence parental behaviour, and it is commonly assumed that this behavioural effect translates into an effect on residual reproduction of parents. However, this equivalence assumption concerning behavioural and reproductive effects caused by offspring signals remains largely untested. Here, we tested the effect of a chemical offspring signal of quality on the relative timing and amount of future reproduction in the European earwig (Forficula auricularia). We manipulated the nutritional condition of earwig nymphs and exposed females to their extract, or to solvent as a control. There were no significant main effects of exposure treatment on 2nd clutch production, but exposure to extracts of well-fed nymphs induced predictable timing of the 2nd relative to the 1st clutch. This result demonstrates for the first time that an offspring signal per se, in the absence of any maternal behaviour, affects maternal reproductive timing, possibly through an effect on maternal reproductive physiology.