Constrained flexibility of parental cooperation limits adaptive responses to harsh conditions.

ABSTRACT: Parental care is predicted to evolve to mitigate harsh environments, thus adaptive plasticity of care may be an important response to our climate crisis. In biparental species, fitness costs may be reduced by resolving conflict and enhancing cooperation among partners. We investigated this prediction with the burying beetle, Nicrophorus orbicollis, by exposing them to contrasting benign and harsh thermal environments. Despite measurable fitness costs under the harsh environment, sexual conflict persisted in the form of sex-specific social plasticity. That is, females provided equivalent care with or without males, whereas males with partners deserted earlier and reduced provisioning effort. The interaction of social condition and thermal environment did not explain variation in individual

SUBMITTER: Moss JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8362138 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature