State Dependent Cooperation
For my PhD, I am investigating how state affects parental care and cooperation in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. Biparental care relies on the cooperation of parents but causes sexual conflict between parents over how much care each should contribute toward their joint offspring. Previous work investigating how this conflict is resolved has focused on the proportion of care each parent contributes; whereas, the role of state has received less attention. Parents may adjust the amount of care they provide based on their own state or that of their partner since state may affect the costs and benefits associated with providing care. To address this, I am manipulating various aspects on state and measuring the effect on parental cooperation.
Publications
For my PhD, I am investigating how state affects parental care and cooperation in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. Biparental care relies on the cooperation of parents but causes sexual conflict between parents over how much care each should contribute toward their joint offspring. Previous work investigating how this conflict is resolved has focused on the proportion of care each parent contributes; whereas, the role of state has received less attention. Parents may adjust the amount of care they provide based on their own state or that of their partner since state may affect the costs and benefits associated with providing care. To address this, I am manipulating various aspects on state and measuring the effect on parental cooperation.
Publications
- Lambert, G. A., Smiseth, P. T. (2024) Flexible females: nutritional state influences biparental cooperation in a burying beetle. Behavioral Ecology.
- Lambert, G. A., Smiseth, P. T. (2022). Access to resources buffers against effects of current reproduction on future ability to provide care in a burying beetle. Ecology and Evolution.