title: A hormone-related female anti-aphrodisiac signals temporary infertility and causes sexual abstinence to synchronize parental care.
abstract: The high energetic demand of parental care requires parents to direct their resources towards the support of existing offspring rather than investing into the production of additional young. However, how such a resource flow is channelled appropriately is poorly understood. In this study, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of the physiological mechanisms coordinating parental and mating effort in an insect exhibiting biparental care. We show a hormone-mediated infertility in female burying beetles during the time the current offspring is needy and report that this temporary infertility is communicated via a pheromone to the male partner, where it inhibits copulation. A shared pathway of hormone and pheromone system ensures the reliability of the anti-aphrodisiac. Female infertility and male sexual abstinence provide for the concerted investment of parental resources into the existing developing young. Our study thus contributes to our deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying adaptive parental decisions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stökl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schweizer
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayasse
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruther
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steiger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology; D010332:Paternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000378:metabolism; D012746:Sexual Abstinence / Q000502:physiology*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013729:Terpenes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D010675:Pheromones; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D013729:Terpenes; C036585:juvenile hormone III; C043081:decaprenoic acid