Behavioral precursors and the origin of parental care in arthropods

• Grant number: 16/22679-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2017
• End date: April 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Glauco Machado
• Grantee: Alexandre Varaschin Palaoro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The origin of parental care is a key subject in evolutionary biology. Theoretical models suggest that the origin of parental care is influenced by factors such as ecological conditions, parental and trans-generational effects, and behavioral precursors. Among these factors, ecological conditions and parental effects are the most intensively studied. Trans-generational effects are receiving growing attention, but the number of empirical studies is still limited. Finally, although there are many hypotheses on the role of behavioral precursors on the origin of parental care, there is no comprehensive test of such hypotheses. The goal of this project is to fill this gap in our knowledge using arthropods as study organisms. More specifically, we will test if egg aggregation coupled with the presence of contusing defenses predict the origin of maternal care. Moreover, we will test if the presence of these two behavioral precursors coupled with the defense to oviposition sites and oviposition in exposed substrates predict the origin of exclusive paternal care. To test our hypotheses we will use a modern comparative approach and a dataset with more than 5,000 arthropod species. This project will bring an important theoretical and empirical contribution because we will test for the first time if behavioral precursors predict not only the origin of parental care, but also the identity of the caring sex. (AU)

Scientific publications

(10)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ZIMMERMANN, BIANCA LAIS; PALAORO, ALEXANDRE VARASCHIN; BOUCHON, DIDIER; ALMERAO, MAURICIO PEREIRA; ARAUJO, PAULA BEATRIZ. How coexistence may influence life history: the reproductive strategies of sympatric congeneric terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Oniscidea). CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, v. 96, n. 11, p. 1214-1220, NOV 2018. (16/22679-3)

PINTO, NELSON S.; PALAORO, ALEXANDRE V.; PEIXOTO, PAULO E. C.. All by myself? Meta-analysis of animal contests shows stronger support for self than for mutual assessment models. BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, v. 94, n. 4, p. 1430-1442, AUG 2019. (16/22679-3)

PALAORO, V, ALEXANDRE; CARDOSO PEIXOTO, PAULO ENRIQUE; BENSO-LOPES, FERNANDO; BOLIGON, DANESSA SCHARDONG; SANTOS, SANDRO. Fight intensity correlates with stronger and more mechanically efficient weapons in three species of Aegla crabs. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, v. 74, n. 5, APR 16 2020. (16/22679-3)

BENSO-LOPES, FERNANDO; SANTOS, SANDRO; PALAORO, ALEXANDRE V.. Underwater compensation for exaggerated weaponry: The role of morphology and environment on crab locomotor performance. OURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART A-ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOG, v. 331, n. 7, p. 10-pg., 2019-08-01. (16/22679-3)

BENSO-LOPES, FERNANDO; SANTOS, SANDRO; PALAORO, ALEXANDRE V.. Underwater compensation for exaggerated weaponry: The role of morphology and environment on crab locomotor performance. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART A-ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, v. 331, n. 7, p. 382-391, AUG 2019. (16/22679-3)

CANDATEN, ALINE; POSSENTI, ANGELICA GABRIELA; MAINARDI, ALVARO AUGUSTO; DA ROCHA, MARCELO CARVALHO; PALAORO, V, ALEXANDRE. Fighting scars: heavier gladiator frogs bear more injuries than lighter frogs. ACTA ETHOLOGICA, v. 23, n. 1, JAN 2020. (16/22679-3)

DALOSTO, MARCELO M.; AYRES-PERES, LUCIANE; ARAUJO, PAULA B.; SANTOS, SANDRO; PALAORO, ALEXANDRE V.. Pay attention to the ladies: female aggressive behavior and weapon allometry provide clues for sexual selection in freshwater anomurans (Decapoda: Aeglidae). BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, v. 73, n. 9, SEP 2019. (16/22679-3)

PALAORO, V, ALEXANDRE; MUNIZ, DANILO G.; SANTOS, SANDRO. Harder, better, faster, stronger: Weapon size is more sexually dimorphic than weapon biomechanical components in two freshwater anomuran species. Journal of Morphology, v. 281, n. 9, JUL 2020. (16/22679-3, 15/22514-1)

PALAORO, ALEXANDRE, V; CARDOSO PEIXOTO, PAULO ENRIQUE. The hidden links between animal weapons, fighting style, and their effect on contest success: a meta-analysis. BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, v. N/A, p. 19-pg., 2022-07-04. (16/22679-3)

PALAORO, ALEXANDRE, V; GARCIA-HERNANDEZ, SOLIMARY; BUZATTO, BRUNO A.; MACHADO, GLAUCO. Function predicts the allometry of contest-related traits, but not sexual or male dimorphism in the amazonian tusked harvestman. EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY, v. 36, n. 4, p. 26-pg., 2022-02-15. (16/22679-3, 21/00915-5, 17/05283-1)