The presence of conspecific intruders alters the magnitude of sex differences in care in a burying beetle

摘要: HighlightsWe tested if parents cooperate more when facing threats from conspecific intruders.There was no shift in cooperation, but increased sex differences in care.Threats from intruders impacts differently the costs of care to males and females.Biparental care occurs when males and females cooperate to care for their joint offspring. It is associated with sexual conflict because the benefits stem from the combined effort of both parents, while any costs depend on each parent's own effort. Thus, biparental care involves a delicate balance between cooperation and conflict. Shifts in this balance are likely to be driven by environmental conditions that alter the costs and benefits to males and females. Here, we used the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides to investigate whether the presence of conspecific intruders shifts the balance towards cooperation (detected as an increase in the duration of biparental care …