Abstract
A positive correlation between the parental effort of a male and female should promote stable biparental care. In order to prevent infanticide male and female burying beetles are said to guard against intruders cooperatively and the presence of a male partner is said to increase the probability of successful defence. However, this hypothesis is supported only by indirect evidence. In this study this hypothesis is tested by direct observation. Whether the intruder was male or female, contests between the same and the opposite sex occurred, although there were few contests between resident females and intruding males. In addition, resident pairs tended to win irrespective of the sex of the intruder, although it is reported that among burying beetles large beetles usually win intra-sexual contests. In the presence of a partner, a small resident can defend a carcass against a large con-sexual intruder. These results suggest that by means of biparental cooperation burying beetles can repel stronger intruders and supports the hypothesis that the threat of infanticide is the primary explanation for extended biparental care in these beetles.
Highlights
Biparental care occurs in many species of vertebrate (Clutton-Brock, 1991) and some insect species (Costa, 2006)
The major functions of biparental care are assumed to be the provision of food to the young and defence against potentially infanticidal intruders (Clutton-Brock, 1991)
Biparental cooperation usually results in an increase in the number of young that are successfully reared (Clutton-Brock, 1991)
Summary
Biparental care occurs in many species of vertebrate (Clutton-Brock, 1991) and some insect species (Costa, 2006). The major functions of biparental care are assumed to be the provision of food to the young and defence against potentially infanticidal intruders (Clutton-Brock, 1991). If a male in guarding against infanticidal intruders can increase the probability of success from low to moderate, risk-taking by the female might be expected to increase (Trumbo, 2006a). Infanticide is a cost for both parents and if guarding can increase the probability of success this will strongly favour biparental cooperation. Nicrophorus feeds small vertebrate carrion to its young. A male and female beetle co-operate in preparing a carcass by burying it, removing its hair and rounding it into a ball. The larvae crawl to the carrion ball, where their parents feed them by regurgitating partially digested food
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