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Adaptive significance of brood care of Copris diversus Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Marina Tyndale-Biscoe
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Entomology, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, A. C. T. 2601, Australia

Abstract

Brood care in Copris diversus Waterh. enhanced survival of progeny. Reallocation of dung from brood balls with no live progeny to brood balls containing live progeny was. a typical behaviour pattern in this species and resulted in fewer, larger brood balls. The advantage of this behaviour is that larger brood balls produced larger progeny, which in turn produced a greater number of offspring.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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References

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