Gene expression of neurotransmitter receptors over reproductive cycle of Nicrophorus vespilloides

Understanding genetic influences of traits in non-model organisms is crucial to understanding how novel traits arise. Do new traits require new genes, or are old genes repurposed? How predictable is this process? Here we examine this question for gene expression influencing parenting behavior in a beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides. Parental care, produced from many individual behaviors, should be influenced by changes of expression of multiple genes and one suggestion is that the genes can be predicted based on knowledge of behavior expected to be precursors to parental care, such as, aggression, resource defense, and mating on a resource. Thus, testing gene expression during parental care allows us to test expectations of this “precursor hypothesis” for multiple genes and traits. We tested for changes of the expression of serotonin, octopamine/tyramine, and dopamine receptors, as well as, one glutamate receptor, predicting that these gene families would be differentially expressed durin...