Burying beetles: intraspecific interactions and reproductive success in the field

Wilson, David Sloan; Fudge, J.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2311.1984.tb00715.x

Cited by 140 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Animal carcasses also comprise nutrient-rich resources that are patchily distributed and very rare (Scott 1990;Hanski and Cambefort 1991;Eggert and Mü ller 1992), and female insects regularly fight with other females for this resource (Pukowski 1933;Wilson and Fudge 1984;Otronen 1988;Mü ller et al 1990;Scott 1990;Trumbo 1990;Eggert and Mü ller 1992). Carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) do not produce horns in either males or females, but the beetle Coprophanaeous ensifer does.…”

Section: Evolution Of Horns In Female Beetlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

et al. 2005

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Abstract. Both ornaments and weapons of sexual selection frequently exhibit prolific interspecific diversity of form. Yet, most studies of this diversity have focused on ornaments involved with female mate choice, rather than on the weapons of male competition. With few exceptions, the mechanisms of divergence in weapon morphology remain largely unexplored. Here, we characterize the evolutionary radiation of one type of weapon: beetle horns. We use partial sequences from four nuclear and three mitochondrial genes to develop a phylogenetic hypothesis for a worldwide sample of 48 species from the dung beetle genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). We then use these data to test for multiple evolutionary origins of horns and to characterize the evolutionary radiation of horns. Although our limited sampling of one of the world's most species-rich genera almost certainly underestimates the number of evolutionary events, our phylogeny reveals prolific evolutionary lability of these exaggerated sexually selected weapons (more than 25 separate gains and losses of five different horn types). We discuss these results in the context of the natural history of these beetles and explore ways that sexual selection and ecology may have interacted to generate this extraordinary diversity of weapon morphology.Key words. Adaptive radiation, beetle horns, character divergence, male competition, Onthophagus, phylogeny, sexual selection, weapons.Received October 18, 2004. Accepted January 23, 2005 The history of life has been accentuated by several spectacular evolutionary radiations (Darwin 1871;Simpson 1949;Rensch 1959), and character divergence within these radiations frequently involves the exaggerated structures of sexual selection (Darwin 1871; West Eberhard 1983; Andersson 1994). The Hawaiian radiation of drosophilid flies, for example, has resulted in more than 900 extant species that differ most conspicuously in the wing patterns and courtship displays of males (Carson 1979;Templeton 1979;Kaneshiro and Boake 1987;Hoy et al. 1988;Kaneshiro 1988;Kambysellis et al. 1995). Similarly, radiations of birds-of-paradise, pheasants, and African Great Lake cichlids all involve the ornaments and displays of males (Beebe 1953;Gilliard 1969;Dominey 1984;Diamond 1986;Turner 1994;Deutsch 1997;Prum 1997;Frith and Beehler 1998; van Oppen et al. 1998). In fact, for a great many animals, the exaggerated structures of sexual selection display an evolutionary lability far surpassing that of other, not sexually selected structures (Darwin 1871;Geist 1966Geist , 1978Gilliard 1969; West-Eberhard 1983; Andersson 1994).Diversification of the ornaments and displays of mate choice is understandable-even expected. Numerous studies suggest that female choice can drive rapid divergence among populations (Lande 1981; West Eberhard 1983;Kaneshiro and Boake 1987;Endler and Houde 1995; van Oppen et al. 1998; Boake 2000;Uy and Borgia 2000;Boughman 2001;Masta and Maddison 2002;Mendelson 2003;Coleman et al. 2004). Founder events, genetic drift, and minor...

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Section: Evolution Of Horns In Female Beetlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

et al. 2005

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“…In this experiment we standardized all broods to 15 larvae, which is the average brood size for this species on carrion weighing 30^35 g (Wilson & Fudge 1984;Trumbo 1991). The mates of the beetles subject to the uniparental care treatments were removed 12 h after adding the newly hatched larvae to the carrion (mouse of 30^39 g).…”

Section: (C) O¡spring Solicitation In Relation To Needmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although biparental care is common in this beetle, uniparental care can also result in successful broods. Single female care is fairly common but single male care is rare (Wilson & Fudge 1984;Trumbo 1991;Scott 1998). Therefore, N. orbicollis provides an invertebrate model for testing honest signalling models.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do honest signalling models of offspring solicitation apply to insects?

Rauter

Moore

1999

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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Honest signalling models predict that the intensity of solicitation by o¡spring in£uences the level of provisioning provided by parents and re£ects o¡spring need. The empirical evidence supporting these predictions primarily comes from studies of birds or mammals. Thus, although parental care of altricial o¡spring is taxonomically widespread, the generality of these models is not well known. To investigate whether honest signalling models apply to insects, we manipulated parent and o¡spring behaviour in the burying beetle Nicrophorus orbicollis, a species with advanced parental care. First, within biparental care, we manipulated the brood size to alter the parents' perception of o¡spring need. We measured the care giving behaviour of male and female parents to examine whether either adjusts its level of care according to o¡spring need. In the second experiment, because two parents together provision the brood more often than single parents, we manipulated the number of care givers (uniparental and biparental care) and measured o¡spring solicitation to assess whether o¡spring change their behaviour in response to need. Our results show that parent behaviour is broadly consistent with the ¢rst prediction of the models; both sexes provisioned larger broods more often than smaller broods. Larval solicitation was also consistent with the second prediction; larvae that were provisioned less often begged more. Our results provide evidence that honest signalling models can be applied to insects as well as vertebrates, although there are also subtle di¡erences in care giving behaviour that may be important.

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“…Then, their body weight was measured. As the size of adults sometimes affects reproductive success in burying beetles (Wilson and Fudge, 1984;Bartlett and Ashworth, 1988), only adults of which body weight was between 0.22 and 0.32 g were used for experiments.…”

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost and Necessity of Parental Care in the Burying Beetle Nicrophorus quadripunctatus

2001

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Burying beetles: intraspecific interactions and reproductive success in the field

Cited by 140 publications

References 8 publications

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Diversity in the Weapons of Sexual Selection: Horn Evolution in the Beetle Genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Do honest signalling models of offspring solicitation apply to insects?

Cost and Necessity of Parental Care in the Burying Beetle Nicrophorus quadripunctatus

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