Data for: Selection on the joint action of pairs leads to divergent adaptation and coadaptation of care-giving parents during pre-hatching care

The joint actions of animals in partnerships or social groups evolve under
both natural selection, from the wider environment, and social selection,
imposed by other members of the pair or group. We used experimental
evolution to investigate how jointly expressed actions evolve upon
exposure to a new environmental challenge. Our work focused on the
evolution of carrion nest preparation by pairs of burying beetles
Nicrophorus vespilloides, a joint activity undertaken by the pair but
typically led by the male. In previous work, we found that carrion nest
preparation evolved to be faster in experimental populations without
post-hatching care (No Care lines) than with post-hatching care (Full Care
lines). Here we investigate how this joint activity evolved. After 15
generations of experimental evolution, we created heterotypic pairs (No
Care females with Full Care males, and No Care males with Full Care
females) and compared their carrion nest making with homotypic No Care and
Full Care pairs. We found that pairs with No Care males prepared the nest
more rapidly than pairs with Full Care males, regardless of the female’s
line of origin. We discuss how social coadaptations within pairs or groups
could act as a post-mating barrier to gene flow.