Abstract
Multigenerational effects (often called maternal effects) are components of the offspring phenotype that result from the parental phenotype and the parental environment as opposed to heritable genetic effects. Multigenerational effects are widespread in nature and are often studied because of their potentially important effects on offspring traits. Although multigenerational effects are commonly observed, few studies have addressed whether they affect offspring fitness. In this study we assess the effect of potential multigenerational effects of parental body size and natal carcass size on lifetime fitness in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus marginatus (Coleoptera; Silphidae). Lifespan, total number of offspring, and number of offspring in the first reproductive bout were not significantly related to parental body size or natal carcass size. However, current carcass size used for reproduction was a significant predictor for lifetime number of offspring and number of offspring in the first brood. We find no evidence that multigenerational effects from larger parents or larger natal carcasses contribute to increased fitness of offspring.
Highlights
IntroductionMultigenerational effects (often called maternal effects) are components of the offspring phenotype that are the result of the parental phenotype and the parental environment as opposed to heritable genetic effects [1,2,3,4]
Multigenerational effects are components of the offspring phenotype that are the result of the parental phenotype and the parental environment as opposed to heritable genetic effects [1,2,3,4]
Multigenerational effects have been reported in response to such factors as nutrients, egg size, the presence of predators, maternal age, maternal body size, and disease resistance [6, 9,10,11,12]
Summary
Multigenerational effects (often called maternal effects) are components of the offspring phenotype that are the result of the parental phenotype and the parental environment as opposed to heritable genetic effects [1,2,3,4]. The phenotypic changes that occur in offspring as a result of multigenerational effects include, changes in body size, age at maturity, developmental rate, dispersal behavior, survival, lifespan, and diapause [13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22]. Such traits are often assumed to contribute to evolutionary fitness of offspring, but tests of this connection are few. Body size is well studied because of its strong, positive relationship with fitness in some species
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