Genetics of parent-offspring communication: a reaction norm approach using inbred lines of Nicrophorus vespilloides

许多动物的后代通过向父母乞讨来获取食物。尽管在过去的十年里，人们对子代乞讨和父母对乞讨的反应进行了深入的研究，但对子代乞讨的遗传基础和父母对乞讨的反应知之甚少。在这个项目中，我调查了后代乞讨的遗传基础，将其作为父母需要和调整父母对后代乞讨变化的照顾的诚实信号。我将在埋葬甲虫的近交系上进行实验，这是一种父母为后代提供食物，后代向父母乞讨食物的昆虫。近交系是研究近亲之间社会互动中表达的行为的遗传学的理想材料，因为同一品系的成员可以通过实验接触到来自一系列不同近交系的个体。在这个项目中，我专注于以下五个目标：(1)我将诚实地乞讨作为需要的信号来测试自交系之间的遗传变异。(2)检测亲本对后代乞讨反应的自交系间的遗传变异。(3)我将测试近交系之间的遗传相关性，以确定乞讨作为需要的信号的诚实性与父母对后代乞讨的反应之间的遗传相关性。(4)我将测试兄弟姐妹之间的竞争对乞讨作为需要的信号的诚实程度的影响。(5)测试父母之间的冲突对父母对子女乞讨反应的影响。

The offspring of many species of animals obtain food by begging from their parents. Although offspring begging and parental responses to begging have been studied intensively over the last decade, little is known about the genetic basis of offspring begging and parental responses to begging. In this project, I investigate the genetic basis of offspring begging as an honest signal of need and adjustments in the parents' care to variation in offspring begging. I will conduct experiments on inbred lines of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, an insect in which the parents provide food for their offspring and the offspring beg for food from the parents. Inbred lines are ideal for studying the genetics of behaviours expressed in social interactions between close relatives because members of the same line can be exposed experimentally to individuals from a range of different inbred lines. In this project, I focus on the following five objectives: (1) I will test for genetic variation between the inbred lines in the honesty of begging as a signal of need. (2) I will test for genetic variation between the inbred lines in the parents' responses to offspring begging. (3) I will test for a genetic correlation among the inbred lines between the honesty of begging as a signal of need and the parents' responses to offspring begging. (4) I will test for effects of competition among siblings on the honesty of begging as a signal of need. (5) I will test for effects of conflicts between caring parents on the parents' responses to offspring begging.