A new study conducted by University of Exeter scientists found that smaller male burying beetles are more desired by their female counterparts due to the fact that they are less likely to get into fights. However, despite their increased success in attracting females to breeding grounds, the researchers also found that they do not make better parents than larger male beetles.
The study is the first to examine the sexual attractiveness of male burying beetles, who are known for being great parents in the insect world. The researchers placed the beetles in the wild with a dead mouse, which gave them an ideal location to mate with a female beetle and raise a family.
Despite their expectations, the researchers found that smaller beetles were better at attracting female partners to the carcass than their larger male counterparts, and they believe that the reason for this stems from their decreased potential for competition and personal fights.
"These results show that by being choosy about their males, female burying beetles might avoid complicated relationships involving male fights and extra female competitors," said Paul Hopwood, lead researcher of the project, in a press release.
In many species, females prefer larger males due to their attractiveness or ability to intimidate smaller rivals, but the current study found that in addition to being "faithful" more often, smaller beetles were also perceived as more desirable due to the fact that they attract less competition and fights. However, the findings did not find a connection between smaller beetles and their ability to parent.
"We found no evidence that males of any size, or from any social background, were more committed parents," said Hopwood.
The findings were published in the Jan. 8 issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
