In birds and other vertebrates, there is good evidence that females adjust the allocation of hormones in their eggs in response to prenatal environmental conditions, such as food availability or male phenotype, with profound consequences for life history traits of offspring. In insects, there is also evidence that females deposit juvenile hormones (JH) and ecdysteroids (ESH) in their eggs, hormones that play a key role in regulating offspring growth and metamorphosis. However, it is unclear whether females adjust their hormonal deposition in eggs in response to prenatal environmental conditions. Here we address this gap by conducting an experiment on the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, in which we manipulated the presence of the male parent and the size of the carcass used for breeding at the time of laying. We also tested for effects of the condition (i.e., body mass) of the parents. We then recorded subsequent effects on JH and ESH concentrations in the eggs. We found no evidence for an effect of these prenatal environmental conditions (male presence and carcass size) on hormonal concentration in the eggs. However, we found that females reduced their deposition of JH when mated with heavier males. This finding is consistent with negative differential allocation of maternal hormones in response to variation in the body mass of the male parent. We encourage further work to investigate the role of maternally derived hormones in insect eggs.

中文翻译：

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雌性根据埋藏甲虫中的雄性状况来调节鸡蛋中的母体激素浓度。

在鸟类和其他脊椎动物中，有充分的证据表明，雌性会根据产前环境条件（例如食物供应量或雄性表型）来调整卵中激素的分配，这对后代的生活史特征产生深远影响。在昆虫中，也有证据表明雌性在卵中沉积了少年激素（JH）和蜕皮类固醇（ESH），这些激素在调节子代的生长和变态中起着关键作用。但是，尚不清楚雌性是否响应产前环境条件而调节卵中的荷尔蒙沉积。在这里，我们通过对掩埋甲虫Nicrophorus vespilloides进行实验来解决这一差距，在该实验中，我们控制了雄性亲本的存在和产蛋时用于繁殖的car体的大小。我们还测试了父母状况（即体重）的影响。然后，我们记录了对鸡蛋中JH和ESH浓度的后续影响。我们没有发现这些产前环境条件（雄性的存在和car体大小）对卵中荷尔蒙浓度的影响的证据。但是，我们发现雌性与较重的雄性交配会减少JH的沉积。该发现与响应于男性父母的体重变化的母亲激素的负差异分配是一致的。我们鼓励开展进一步的工作，以调查母源激素在昆虫卵中的作用。我们没有发现这些产前环境条件（雄性的存在和car体大小）对卵中荷尔蒙浓度的影响的证据。但是，我们发现雌性与较重的雄性交配会减少JH的沉积。该发现与响应于男性父母的体重变化的母亲激素的负差异分配是一致的。我们鼓励开展进一步的工作，以调查母源激素在昆虫卵中的作用。我们没有发现这些产前环境条件（雄性的存在和car体大小）对卵中荷尔蒙浓度的影响的证据。但是，我们发现雌性与较重的雄性交配会减少JH的沉积。该发现与响应于男性父母的体重变化的母亲激素的负差异分配是一致的。我们鼓励开展进一步的工作，以调查母源激素在昆虫卵中的作用。