The scent of offspring: chemical profiles of larvae change during development and affect parental behavior in a burying beetle

Chemical cues and signals, especially in insects, play a pivotal role in mediating interactions between individuals. Past studies have largely focused on adult semiochemicals and have neglected those of juvenile stages. Especially in the context of parental care, larval odor might have a profound impact on parenting behavior, guiding parents in how much resources they should allocate to the different developmental stages. However, whether ontogenetic changes occur in subsocial species and whether larval-emitted scents influence parent-offspring interactions is largely unknown. Using three different sampling techniques, we analyzed the cuticular and VOC profile of the three larval instars of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, which is known for its elaborate parental care. We found distinct differences in the cuticular and VOC profiles across the three larval stages. Second instar larvae, which receive more frequent feedings from parents than the other larval stages, released g..., , , #### Excel sheet: Cuticular lipids

* Sample = The identification code of each larval sample in the experiment
* instar = developmental instar of N. vespilloides larvae

In columns C to AR = percentages of each surface substance per sample

#### Excel sheet: Heatmap cuticular lipids

* Substances = surface compounds which differs most between larval instars (calculated over Simper tests)
* L1 = mean relative amount of the substances found in first larval instar
* L2 = mean relative amount of the substances found in second larval instar
* L3 = mean relative amount of the substances found in third larval instar

#### Excel sheet: VOCs active headspace

* Sample = The identification code of each larval sample in the experiment
* instar = developmental instar of N. vespilloides larvae

In columns C to BU = percentages of each surface substance per sample

##### Excel sheet: VOCs passive headspace

* ID = The identification code of each larval sample in the experiment
* Instar_stage = develo...