Ethological principles predict the neuropeptides co-opted to influence parenting

ABSTRACT: Ethologists predicted that parental care evolves by modifying suitable behavioural precursors in the asocial ancestor. Traits such as nest building, defensive and aggressive behaviours, and potentially shared resources evolve to offspring protection and defence, and feeding. From this ethological principle, we further predicted that the evolved mechanistic changes would reside in genetic pathways underlying these behavioural precursors. While gene expression is difficult to detect for some molecules like neuropeptides, we tested our hypothesis by measuring abundance of neuropeptides in different behavioural states using LC-MS in female burying beetles, Nicrophorus vespilloides. Parenting in this species is extensive and complex as caring adults regurgitate food to begging, dependent offspring. We identified neuropeptides by sampling peptide abundance in female brains collected from three different behavioural states: solitary virgins, actively parenting, or post-parenting solitary adults. We identified 133 peptides belonging to 18 neuropeptides. Of these 18, eight differed in abundance in one or more state. We found increased abundance during parenting in seven of the eight. None of the identified neuropeptides have previously been associated with parental care, but all have known roles in predicted behavioural precursors of mating, resource defence, feeding, or social tolerance. Two, tachykinin and sulfakinin, influence multiple pathways. Our study supports the prediction that appropriate behavioural precursors are likely targets of selection during the evolution of parenting. Evolutionary principles predicted neuropeptides influencing social behaviour, and our results provide several new candidate neuropeptides underpinning parenting.

INSTRUMENT(S): LTQ

ORGANISM(S): Nicrophorus Vespilloides (ncbitaxon:110193)

SUBMITTER: Allen J. Moore 

PROVIDER: MSV000080366 | MassIVE | Tue Nov 29 13:56:00 GMT 2016

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PXD005460

REPOSITORIES: MassIVE