The genetics of maternal care: Direct and indirect genetic effects on phenotype in the dung beetle Onthophagus taurus

摘要

While theoretical models of the evolution of parental care are based on the assumption of underlying genetic variance, surpris- ingly few quantitative genetic studies of this life-history trait exist. Estimation of the degree of genetic variance in parental care is important because it can be a significant source of maternal effects, which, if genetically based, represent indirect genetic effects. A major prediction of indirect genetic effect theory is that traits without heritable variation can evolve because of the heritable environmental variation that indirect genetic effects provide. In the dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus, females provide care to offspring by provisioning a brood mass.