Seasonal patterns of resource use within natural populations of burying beetles

For organisms in temperate environments, seasonal variation in resource
availability and weather conditions exert fluctuating selection pressures
on survival and fitness, resulting in diverse adaptive responses. By
manipulating resource availability on a local spatial scale, we studied
seasonal patterns of resource use within natural populations of burying
beetles (Nicrophorus vespilloides) in a Norfolk woodland. Burying beetles
are necrophagous insects that breed on vertebrate carcasses. They are
active in Europe between April and October, after which they burrow into
the soil and overwinter. Using breeding and chemical analyses, we compared
the fecundity and physiological state of beetles that differed in their
seasonal resource use. We found seasonal variation in carrion use by wild
burying beetles and correlated differences in their reproductive success
and cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Our results provide novel insights
into the seasonal correlates of behaviour, physiology, and life history in
burying beetles.