Parental care masks a density-dependent shift from cooperation to competition among burying beetle larvae

The study demonstrates that the presence of parental care and the density of larvae on the breeding carcass change the outcome of sibling interactions in burying beetle broods. It finds that with full parental care there is a significant negative relationship between larval density and larval mass, consistent with sibling competition for resources. However, in the absence of care, there is a nonlinear relationship between larval density and larval mass, indicating a density-dependent shift between cooperation and competition.