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<p>The adaptive timing of hatching is important for successful brood parasitism in some birds and insects. Parental burying beetles typically rear their own larvae on carcasses, but occasionally raise brood-parasitic larvae from the eggs of other females (“egg dumping”). Parasitic eggs must hatch synchronously with host eggs because the host parents indiscriminately accept any larvae during that period. If eggs hatch too early, parasitic larvae are eliminated by the host parents; if they hatch too late, they are outcompeted by the host’s own larvae. Therefore, synchronous hatching is critical for brood parasites. However, the conditions under which this synchronization is achieved remain unclear. Furthermore, it has yet to be established whether the hatching of parasitic larvae synchronizes with that of host larvae even when the reproductive behavior of the parasite lags behind that of the host. In the burying beetle <i>Nicrophorus quadripunctatus</i> Kraatz, we observed the hatching of host and parasite offspring under experimental conditions in which female parasites (intruders) encountered carcasses secured by female hosts (residents) two days earlier. In 14 of the 40 replicates, “winning” residents laid 36 eggs, and “defeated” intruders laid six “dumped eggs” on average. The hatching of intruder offspring synchronized with that of resident offspring despite the two-day lag, suggesting that egg dumping leads to brood parasitism. Notably, the period from contact with carcasses to hatching was significantly shorter for intruders than for residents. Therefore, the timing of hatching may contribute to the success of brood parasitism.</p>

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Eggs of 2-day Delayed Intruders Synchronously Hatch under Reproductive Competition in a Burying Beetle

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月28日

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  • Takuma Niida,
  • Tomoyosi Nisimura

摘要

The adaptive timing of hatching is important for successful brood parasitism in some birds and insects. Parental burying beetles typically rear their own larvae on carcasses, but occasionally raise brood-parasitic larvae from the eggs of other females (“egg dumping”). Parasitic eggs must hatch synchronously with host eggs because the host parents indiscriminately accept any larvae during that period. If eggs hatch too early, parasitic larvae are eliminated by the host parents; if they hatch too late, they are outcompeted by the host’s own larvae. Therefore, synchronous hatching is critical for brood parasites. However, the conditions under which this synchronization is achieved remain unclear. Furthermore, it has yet to be established whether the hatching of parasitic larvae synchronizes with that of host larvae even when the reproductive behavior of the parasite lags behind that of the host. In the burying beetle Nicrophorus quadripunctatus Kraatz, we observed the hatching of host and parasite offspring under experimental conditions in which female parasites (intruders) encountered carcasses secured by female hosts (residents) two days earlier. In 14 of the 40 replicates, “winning” residents laid 36 eggs, and “defeated” intruders laid six “dumped eggs” on average. The hatching of intruder offspring synchronized with that of resident offspring despite the two-day lag, suggesting that egg dumping leads to brood parasitism. Notably, the period from contact with carcasses to hatching was significantly shorter for intruders than for residents. Therefore, the timing of hatching may contribute to the success of brood parasitism.