Parental care buffers against inbreeding depression in burying beetles

Pilakouta, N. , Jamieson, S., Moorad, J. A. and Smiseth, P. T. (2015) Parental care buffers against inbreeding depression in burying beetles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(26), pp. 8031-8035. (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1500658112) (PMID:26080412) (PMCID:PMC4491787)

[img]
Preview
Text
130108.pdf - Published Version

596kB

Abstract

When relatives mate, their inbred offspring often suffer a reduction in fitness-related traits known as “inbreeding depression.” There is mounting evidence that inbreeding depression can be exacerbated by environmental stresses such as starvation, predation, parasitism, and competition. Parental care may play an important role as a buffer against inbreeding depression in the offspring by alleviating these environmental stresses. Here, we examine the effect of parental care on the fitness costs of inbreeding in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, an insect with facultative parental care. We used a 2 × 2 factorial design with the following factors: (i) the presence or absence of a caring female parent during larval development and (ii) inbred or outbred offspring. We examined the joint influence of maternal care and inbreeding status on fitness-related offspring traits to test the hypothesis that maternal care improves the performance of inbred offspring more than that of outbred offspring. Indeed, the female's presence led to a higher increase in larval survival in inbred than in outbred broods. Receiving care at the larval stage also increased the lifespan of inbred but not outbred adults, suggesting that the beneficial buffering effects of maternal care can persist long after the offspring have become independent. Our results show that parental care has the potential to moderate the severity of inbreeding depression, which in turn may favor inbreeding tolerance and influence the evolution of mating systems and other inbreeding-avoidance mechanisms.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Pilakouta, Dr Natalie
Authors: Pilakouta, N., Jamieson, S., Moorad, J. A., and Smiseth, P. T.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publisher:National Academy of Sciences
ISSN:0027-8424
ISSN (Online):1091-6490
Published Online:15 June 2015
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 National Academy of Sciences
First Published:First published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112(26): 8031-8035
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record