Final answer:
Differential allocation of parental care in the study of red deer refers to the unequal investment of resources by parents into the care of offspring based on their sex. It reflects a species' life history strategy for allocating resources for reproduction.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the study of red deer, differential allocation of parental care refers to the unequal investment of resources based on offspring sex. This concept suggests that parents may allocate more resources and care towards the offspring of one sex over the other. This strategy is a reflection of the life history strategy that different species evolve, allowing them to partition energy for growth, maintenance, and reproduction to adapt to their environmental conditions for successful reproduction.
In terms of reproductive potential, such as the comparison involving a squash beetle native to the Everglades and another beetle from the Great Lakes region, scientists would look at fecundity—the ability to produce many offspring—as a key indicator. Furthermore, parental care is inversely related to the number of offspring; species with few offspring generally provide longer-term, more intensive parental care, while species with many offspring provide less. This is part of the broader topic of energy budget of parents and how it influences the reproductive strategies and care they can afford to provide.