Filial egg cannibalism in the European earwig: its determinants and implications in the evolution of maternal egg care

Abstract

In many animal species, mothers eat some of their own eggs. While this filial egg cannibalism can have profound impacts on both parental and offspring fitness, it remains unclear whether this behaviour is a simple by-product of a generally low maternal investment in egg care and whether it is determined before or after egg production. Here, we addressed these questions in the European earwig, Forficula auricularia, an insect in which females vary in their level of investment in egg care and in their expression of egg cannibalism. Using a cross-fostering experiment, we investigated the benefits of egg cannibalism for mothers, the potential association between egg cannibalism and egg care, and whether egg cannibalism is a maternal strategy that is determined before or after egg laying. Our results first revealed that egg cannibalism provided direct benefits to mothers, as the females that consumed some of their eggs increased their investment in future reproduction. We then showed that egg cannibalism was independent of the level of maternal investment in two important forms of egg care (egg defence and the time taken to return after a simulated predator attack). Overall, this suggests that access to egg cannibalism may select for mothers to remain with their eggs, independent of the potential benefits of care for the eggs. Finally, we demonstrated that the number of eggs received, but not the number of eggs produced by foster mothers, determined the level of egg cannibalism. This highlights that egg cannibalism is determined after egg laying and is not the outcome of anticipatory maternal effects. Overall, these findings provide novel insights into our understanding of the early evolution of parental care, as they suggest that the direct benefits of filial egg cannibalism for mothers could have promoted egg attendance from an ancestral egg abandonment state. • Filial egg cannibalism has profound impacts on both parental and offspring fitness. • European earwig mothers benefited directly from eating some of their eggs. • Egg cannibalism was independent of the level of maternal investment. • It is determined after egg laying and is not an anticipatory maternal effect. • It is not a simple by-product of a low maternal investment in care.