Heatwaves during early development have long-term consequences for parental care in adulthood

Abstract

Heatwaves are becoming more common due to climate change. Species can respond to this thermal stress through rapid behavioural changes. For example, parental care can increase reproductive success by buffering against thermal stress, but the ability to provide parental care may also be influenced by prior exposure to high temperatures. However, the effects of heatwaves in parents' early development on parental care they provide in adulthood have not yet been tested. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap using the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, an ectotherm model system with facultative biparental care. We compared the parental behaviour, reproductive success and offspring fitness of parents that had been exposed to a heatwave (3 days at 25 °C) early in the pupae stage in their development and parents that had been reared at a constant temperature. Females from the heatwave treatment were more likely to provide care than those in the control treatment, with no difference in reproductive success or offspring fitness between thermal treatments. Our findings suggest that heatwaves during the pupae development stage can potentially have long-term impacts on the likelihood of providing parental care later in life.