Parental Care System and Brood Size Drive Sex Difference in Reproductive Allocation: An Experimental Study on Burying Beetles

Life-history theory predicts that increased resource allocation in current reproduction comes at the cost of survival and future reproductive fitness. In taxa with biparental care, each parent can adjust investment on according to changes their partner’s effort, but these adjustments may be different for males females as they have strategies. Numerous theoretical empirical studies proposed mechanism underlying such adjustments. addition, value brood or litter (brood size) has also been suggested affect amount care through manipulation size. While two conditions studied independently, impact interplay potential sex-dependent performance remains largely unknown. this study, we simultaneously manipulated both system (removal either vs. no removal) size a burying beetle ( Nicrophorus vespilloides ) understand joint effect trade-off between reproduction. Our results show compensated mate loss by significantly increasing level regardless size, while exhibited compensation only small Additionally, an increase reproduction, showed decreased parental during subsequent breeding event pair. These findings imply dual influence Moreover, differences (parental larvae number, average larval mass dispersal) is demonstrated. enhance understanding sex roles highlight importance drivers allocation.