# Maternal Care Behavior and Its Consequences in Competition

## TL;DR

This study shows that maternal care in predatory mites improves offspring survival and reduces competitor survival, with implications for pest control strategies.

## Contribution

The study reveals how maternal care in predatory mites affects offspring and competitor survival, offering new insights for biological pest control.

## Key findings

- Females of C. eruditus show increased egg-guarding behavior when interspecific competitors are present.
- Maternal care significantly reduces predation risk for egg masses and increases egg survival rates.
- Guarding females reduce the survival of both conspecific and heterospecific competitors.

## Abstract

The maternal care behavior of the predatory mite Cheyletus eruditus (Schrank) and its impact on offspring survival and competition were investigated. The findings revealed that females exhibited egg-guarding behaviors, with increased maternal care efforts when interspecific competitors were present. The study demonstrated that egg masses were more vulnerable to predation in the absence of females, highlighting the importance of maternal care behaviors for offspring survival. Furthermore, the presence of guarding females increased egg survival rates and negatively impacted the survival of both conspecific and heterospecific competitors, resulting in higher mortality rates. These results emphasize the ecological significance of maternal care behaviors of C. eruditus and provide valuable insights for pest management with predatory mites.

Parental care behavior has evolved as a life history strategy to improve reproductive success, particularly in organisms facing challenging environments. However, the variation in maternal care, such as egg-guarding behavior in response to the social environment and the associated ecological consequence of competition, remains largely unknown. This study addresses a gap in current knowledge by examining the plasticity of maternal care behavior in the predatory mite C. eruditus and its impact on offspring survival and intra- and interspecific competition. Our results demonstrated that the reproductive females frequently exhibit egg-guarding behaviors, with enhanced maternal care efforts when the interspecific competitor is present. Egg masses are significantly more vulnerable to predation in the absence of maternal care. Guarding females increased egg survival rates and adversely influenced the survival of both con- and heterospecific competitors, with higher mortality rates being detected. Our findings highlight the ecological significance of maternal care behaviors and suggest that releasing C. eruditus and Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) together is not recommended for pest management in storage products.