Differentiating among alternative models for the resolution of parent–offspring conflict

摘要: Understanding the behavioral mechanisms mediating resolution of parent–offspring conflict is an important challenge given that this shapes transfer resources from parents to offspring. Three alternative models suggest offspring begging provides mechanism for resolution: honest signaling, scramble competition, and cost-free signaling models. However, there has so far been little progress in testing between these because they share same predictions. Here, we test by focusing on their contrasting assumptions concerning who controls resource allocation whether costly 2 experiments conducted burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. In Experiment 1, manipulated degree which can control presenting broods with age-based competitive asymmetries a live or dead female parent. We found seniors (i.e., older larvae) gained more access parent’s mouthparts than juniors only when presented 2, provided 60 newly hatched larvae were likely become target filial cannibalism would be expected if targeted irrespective behavior . These findings increases parents’ influence over food increasing offspring’s risk being cannibalism. Our results support conflict.