A hormone-related female anti-aphrodisiac signals temporary infertility and causes sexual abstinence to synchronize parental care

Katharina C. Engel; Johannes Stökl; Rebecca Schweizer; Heiko Vogel; Manfred Ayasse; Joachim Ruther; Sandra Steiger

doi:10.1038/ncomms11035

Nature Communications (Mar 2016)

A hormone-related female anti-aphrodisiac signals temporary infertility and causes sexual abstinence to synchronize parental care

Katharina C. Engel,
Johannes Stökl,
Rebecca Schweizer,
Heiko Vogel,
Manfred Ayasse,
Joachim Ruther,
Sandra Steiger

Affiliations

Katharina C. Engel: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm
Johannes Stökl: Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg
Rebecca Schweizer: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm
Heiko Vogel: Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Manfred Ayasse: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm
Joachim Ruther: Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg
Sandra Steiger: Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11035
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Parents are faced with the dilemma whether to invest in their current offspring, or potential future young. Here, Engel et al. show that nutritionally-dependent young induce temporary infertility in female burying beetles, which in turn is signalled to the male partner via a hormone-related anti-aphrodisiac.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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