Females adjust maternal hormone concentration in eggs according to male condition in a burying beetle.

摘要: Abstract In birds and other vertebrates, there is good evidence that females adjust the allocation of hormones in their eggs response to prenatal environmental conditions, such as food availability or male phenotype, with profound consequences for life history traits offspring. insects, also deposit juvenile (JH) ecdysteroids (ESH) eggs, play a key role regulating offspring growth metamorphosis. However, it unclear whether hormonal deposition conditions. Here we address this gap by conducting an experiment on burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, which manipulated presence parent size carcass used breeding at time laying. We tested effects condition (i.e., body mass) parents. then recorded subsequent JH ESH concentrations eggs. found no effect these conditions (male size) concentration reduced when mated heavier males. This finding consistent negative differential maternal variation mass parent. encourage further work investigate maternally derived insect