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Abstract
This study seeks to understand flexible paternal care of Nicrophorus orbicollis beginning with a synthesis of parental care within N. orbicollis (Chapter 1). I transition into investigating intra-specific competition and its connection to parental care (Chapter 2) by encouraging male-male competition prior to reproduction. Competitive males participated in parental care more than non-competitive males. Male experience had no bearing on female behavior, ensuring the integrity of offspring. This progressed into investigating aggression’s role in parental care and winning/losing effects (Chapter 3). I do this by sampling males from different reproductive stages and look at subsequent expression of the octopamine α receptor and the octopamine/tyramine 1 receptor. The octopamine α receptor was differentially expressed across stages implicating its role in aggression and parental care. I found no evidence of winner/loser effects in N. orbicollis.