Parental care improves offspring survival and growth in burying beetles
Parental care improves offspring survival and growth in burying beetles
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DOI：
10.1006/anbe.1997.0588
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发表时间：
1998-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Müller, JK
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Eggert, AK;Reinking, M;Müller, JK
埋甲虫（埋甲虫属）为它们的后代提供精心的亲代照顾。亲代甲虫保护一个小脊椎动物的尸体，这是幼虫唯一的食物来源。它们还以各种方式操纵尸体，直接将预先消化的腐肉反刍给幼崽。操纵胴体和反流的好处一直是一些小规模研究的主题，这些研究产生了相互矛盾的结果。在这项研究中，我们调查了这些行为的益处，并测试了对小绒螯虾幼虫存活率和最终体重的可能有益影响。(1)在幼虫在胴体上发育的整个过程中，亲代照料的幼虫存活率和质量显著高于无成虫照料的幼虫；(2)在幼虫孵化后立即亲本存在大大提高了幼虫的存活率(3)持续数日亲本存在进一步促进了幼虫的生长，导致个体幼虫的最终质量增大；(4)亲代对胴体进行准备，亲代切除胴体表面的被膜，使幼虫可以随时获得食物，从而提高了幼虫的存活和生长；(5)亲代取食对幼虫生存和生长的积极影响不受共生体转移的介导。(C) 1998动物行为研究协会。
Burying beetles (genus Nicrophorus) provide elaborate parental care to their offspring. Parental beetles defend a small vertebrate carcass, which constitutes the sole food source for the larvae. They also manipulate the carcass in various ways and directly regurgitate pre-digested carrion to the young. The benefits of carcass manipulation and regurgitation have been the subject of a few small-scale studies that have yielded conflicting results. In this study, we investigated the benefits of these behaviours and tested for possible beneficial effects on larval survival rates and final body mass in N. vespilloides. In this species: (1) larval survival and mass were significantly higher in broods receiving parental care throughout larval development on the carcass than in broods developing in the absence of adults; (2) parental presence immediately subsequent to larval hatching greatly improved larval survival rates (3) continued parental presence for several days further improved larval growth, leading to a greater final mass of individual larvae; (4) larval survival and growth were improved by parental preparation of carcasses and by an excision made in the integument of the carcass surface by the parents that allows the larvae ready access to their food; (5) positive effects of parental feeding on larval survival and growth were not mediated by the transfer of symbionts. (C) 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.