Male burying beetles extend, not reduce, parental care duration when reproductive competition is high.

摘要: Male parents spend less time caring than females in many species with biparental care. The traditional explanation for this pattern is that males have lower confidence of parentage, so they desert earlier favour pursuing other mating opportunities. However, one recent alternative hypothesis prolonged male parental care might also evolve if staying to actively improves paternity. If the case, an increase reproductive competition should be associated increased paternal To test prediction, we manipulated level experienced by burying beetles, Nicrophorus vespilloides (Herbst, 1783). We found caregiving stayed longer and mated more frequently their partner when was greater. Reproductive productivity did not extended Our findings provide support paternity hypothesis. Extended duration may a tactic both protecting investment (in current brood) maximizing subsequent brood(s) via female stored sperm) even fails maximize creates conflict interest mate costs frequency.