Inbreeding depression increases with maternal age in a seed-feeding beetle

Background: Interactions between inbreeding and maternal effects have received little attention, and the effect of maternal age on inbreeding depression in offspring has been almost entirely neglected. Maternal age affects allocation of resources and other materials to offspring, which can affect the fitness consequences of inbreeding. An interaction between inbreeding and maternal age thus has the potential to produce complex and long-lasting effects on population dynamics and evolutionary trajectories. Hypothesis: Inbreeding depression in offspring fitness traits increases with maternal age at reproduction. Organism: Two populations of the seed-feeding beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)