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Injured mother bugs compensate for reduced provisioning ability by increasing trophic egg production
Hiromi Mukai1,2, Mantaro Hironaka3,4, Narumi Baba5
1The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
Biology Letters
|May 26, 2026
Summary
Injured female burrower bugs (Adomerus triguttulus) compensate for reduced food delivery by producing more trophic eggs. This parental care adaptation helps ensure offspring survival despite maternal injury.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Insect Reproduction
- Parental Care
Background:
- Parental care in Adomerus triguttulus involves provisioning trophic eggs and Lamium spp. nutlets.
- Maternal injuries, potentially from predation, may impact provisioning ability and reproductive value.
- Adaptive changes in trophic egg production could be triggered by injury or reduced provisioning capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that injured females increase trophic egg production.
- To investigate if increased trophic egg production compensates for decreased nutlet-provisioning ability.
- To determine if injury triggers terminal investment strategies in parental care.
Main Methods:
- Adomerus triguttulus females were divided into three groups: hind-leg removal, forewing removal, and control (uninjured).
- Trophic egg production and nutlet-carrying speed were measured and compared across groups.
- The study assessed the impact of simulated non-lethal injuries on maternal provisioning strategies.
Main Results:
- Females with hind-leg removal produced significantly more trophic eggs than control and forewing removal groups.
- Nutlet-carrying speed was reduced in the hind-leg removal group compared to other groups.
- No significant difference in trophic egg production was observed between forewing removal and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Hind-leg removal in female Adomerus triguttulus induces compensatory increases in trophic egg production.
- This suggests an adaptive parental care strategy where females offset reduced provisioning ability due to injury.
- The findings support the role of injury in modulating reproductive investment in insects.
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