Effects of Carcass Size and Parental Feeding on Reproductive Success of the Burying Beetle Nicrophorus quadripunctatus (Coleoptera : Silphidae)

概要

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The effects of carcass size and parental feeding on the survival and growth of larvae of the burying beetle Nicrophorus quadripunctatus were experimentally examined under varying resource conditions. Female adults laid more eggs on large carcasses than on small and medium ones, indicating that they regulate clutch size corresponding to the amount of food available. On small carcasses, the daily survival rates of larvae on the 1st and 2nd days were low, as was the weight of dispersed larvae. These declines may be due to severe competition among larvae for space and parental feeding. Carcasses were largely expended by a clutch of larvae by the 5th day. Also on small carcasses, total parental feeding time per larva was positively correlated with the average weight of dispersed larvae, suggesting that parental feeding influences the growth of larvae when food is limited. On large carcasses, parental feeding time per larva was short on the 2nd day, possibly because parents expended much energy in manipulating the carcasses. This shortened feeding time resulted in a decline in the larval survival rate.
日本昆虫学会の論文
2001-06-25