Title

Parent-offspring coadaptation and the dual genetic control of maternal care

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2001

Abstract

In many animal species, the amount of care provided by parents is determined through a complex interaction of offspring signals and responses by parents to those signals. As predicted by honest signaling theory, we show that in the burrower bug, Sehirus cinctus, maternal provisioning responds to experimental manipulations of offspring condition. Despite this predicted environmental influence, we find evidence from two cross-foster experiments that variation in maternal care also stems from two distinct genetic sources: variation among offspring in their ability to elicit care and variation among parents in their response to offspring signals. Furthermore, as predicted by maternal-offspring coadaptation theory, offspring signaling is negatively genetically correlated with maternal provisioning.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Science

First Page

1710

Last Page

1712

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS