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Kurlovich J, Rodriguez Polo I, Dovgusha O, Tereshchenko Y, Cruz CRV, Behr R, Günesdogan U. Generation of marmoset primordial germ cell-like cells under chemically defined conditions. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302371. [PMID: 38499329 PMCID: PMC10948935 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the embryonic precursors of sperm and oocytes, which transmit genetic/epigenetic information across generations. Mouse PGC and subsequent gamete development can be fully reconstituted in vitro, opening up new avenues for germ cell studies in biomedical research. However, PGCs show molecular differences between rodents and humans. Therefore, to establish an in vitro system that is closely related to humans, we studied PGC development in vivo and in vitro in the common marmoset monkey Callithrix jacchus (cj). Gonadal cjPGCs at embryonic day 74 express SOX17, AP2Ɣ, BLIMP1, NANOG, and OCT4A, which is reminiscent of human PGCs. We established transgene-free induced pluripotent stem cell (cjiPSC) lines from foetal and postnatal fibroblasts. These cjiPSCs, cultured in defined and feeder-free conditions, can be differentiated into precursors of mesendoderm and subsequently into cjPGC-like cells (cjPGCLCs) with a transcriptome similar to human PGCs/PGCLCs. Our results not only pave the way for studying PGC development in a non-human primate in vitro under experimentally controlled conditions, but also provide the opportunity to derive functional marmoset gametes in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Kurlovich
- https://ror.org/01y9bpm73 Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ignacio Rodriguez Polo
- https://ror.org/01y9bpm73 Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- German Primate Center-Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Research Platform Degenerative Diseases, Göttingen, Germany
- Stem Cell and Human Development Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Oleksandr Dovgusha
- https://ror.org/01y9bpm73 Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Yuliia Tereshchenko
- German Primate Center-Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Research Platform Degenerative Diseases, Göttingen, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Carmela Rieline V Cruz
- https://ror.org/01y9bpm73 Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Behr
- German Primate Center-Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Research Platform Degenerative Diseases, Göttingen, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ufuk Günesdogan
- https://ror.org/01y9bpm73 Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- https://ror.org/03av75f26 Department for Molecular Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
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2
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Haertel AJ, Beisner BA, Buehler MS, Capuano S, Carrol KE, Church T, Cohen JK, Crane MM, Dutton JW, Falkenstein KP, Gill L, Hopper LM, Hotchkiss CE, Lee GH, Malinowski CM, Mendoza E, Sayers K, Scorpio DG, Stockinger D, Taylor JM. The impact of housing on birth outcomes in breeding macaque groups across multiple research centers. Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23554. [PMID: 37771291 PMCID: PMC10591726 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Demand for nonhuman primates in research has increased over the past several years, while nonhuman primate supply remains a challenge in the United States. Global nonhuman primate supply issues make it increasingly important to maximize domestic colony production. To explore how housing conditions across primate breeding colonies impact infant survival and animal production more broadly, we collected medical records from 7959 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and 492 pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) across seven breeding facilities and used generalized mixed-effect modeling to determine prenatal and infant survival odds by housing type and group size. Infant survival odds for each housing type and group size varied for prenatal, neonatal, early infant, and late infant age groups. Odds of prenatal survival were lowest in paired indoor housing and small and medium outdoor groups. No housing type performed better than large outdoor groups for neonatal survival. Odds of early infant survival was greatest in indoor and mixed indoor/outdoor housing compared to large outdoor enclosures. Large outdoor housing was associated with higher survival odds for late infant survival compared to small and medium outdoor housing. These results may influence housing choices at macaque breeding facilities hoping to maximize infant success, although there are relative care costs, the promotion of species-typical behaviors, and infrastructure factors to also consider. Our study used an interinstitutional collaboration that allowed for the analysis of more infant macaque medical records than ever before and used the broad variations across the seven national primate research centers to make the results applicable to many other facilities housing macaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Haertel
- Oregon National Primate Research Center, Division of Animal Resources and Research Support, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
| | - Brianne A Beisner
- Emory National Primate Research Center Field Station, Division of Animal Resources, Emory University, Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
| | - Margaret S Buehler
- Anthropology Department, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Saverio Capuano
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Kelsey E Carrol
- Primate Medicine Services, California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Travis Church
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Joyce K Cohen
- Emory National Primate Research Center Field Station, Division of Animal Resources, Emory University, Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Maria M Crane
- Emory National Primate Research Center Field Station, Division of Animal Resources, Emory University, Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
| | - John W Dutton
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Katherine P Falkenstein
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Leanne Gill
- Research Services, California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Lydia M Hopper
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Charlotte E Hotchkiss
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Animal Resources Division, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Grace H Lee
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Animal Resources Division, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Carolyn M Malinowski
- Arizona Breeding Colony, Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Mesa, Arizona, USA
| | - Elda Mendoza
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Ken Sayers
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Diana G Scorpio
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Diane Stockinger
- Primate Medicine Services, California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Joshua M Taylor
- Oregon National Primate Research Center, Division of Animal Resources and Research Support, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
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3
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Pittet F, Hinde K. Meager Milk: Lasting Consequences for Adult Daughters of Primiparous Mothers Among Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta). Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:569-584. [PMID: 37170073 PMCID: PMC10503474 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Among mammals, primipara who initiate reproduction before full maturity can be constrained in their maternal investment, both due to fewer somatic resources and tradeoffs between their own continued development and reproductive effort. Primipara are particularly limited in their capacity to synthesize milk during lactation, the costliest aspect of reproduction for most mammals, especially primates due to long periods of postnatal development. Due to reduced milk transfer, Firstborns may be at elevated risk for long-term consequences of deficits in early life endowment from their primiparous mothers. Here we investigated mass, growth, stature, and lactation performance among N = 273 adult daughters across N = 335 reproductions, who were their own mother's Firstborn or Laterborn progeny, among rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at the California National Primate Research Center. We further explored mass during infancy of the offspring of Firstborn and Laterborn mothers. Firstborns had accelerated growth during infancy, but had slowed growth during juvenility, compared to Laterborns. Although both Firstborns and Laterborns were the same age at reproductive debut, Firstborns had lower body mass, an effect that persisted throughout the reproductive career. Available milk energy, the product of milk energetic density and milk yield, was on average 16% lower for Firstborns compared to Laterborns, a difference that was only partially mediated by their lower mass. Despite differences in their mothers' energy provision through milk, the mass of infants of Firstborn and Laterborn mothers did not differ at peak lactation, suggesting that infants of Firstborns devote a higher proportion of milk energy to growth than infants of Laterborns. To date few studies have explored how early life conditions shape capacities to synthesize milk and milk composition. Our findings contribute new information among primates on how early life maternal endowments are associated with persistent effects long after the period of maternal dependence well into reproductive maturity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Pittet
- Neuroscience and Behavior Unit, California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Katie Hinde
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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4
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Cerrito P, Hu B, Goldstein JZ, Kalisher R, Bailey SE, Bromage TG. Elemental composition of primary lamellar bone differs between parous and nulliparous rhesus macaque females. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276866. [PMID: 36318529 PMCID: PMC9624403 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracting life history information from mineralized hard tissues of extant and extinct species is an ongoing challenge in evolutionary and conservation studies. Primary lamellar bone is a mineralized tissue with multidien periodicity that begins deposition prenatally and continues until adulthood albeit with concurrent resorption, thus maintaining a record spanning several years of an individual's life. Here, we use field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis to measure the relative concentrations of calcium, phosphorous, oxygen, magnesium and sodium in the femora of seven rhesus macaque with known medical and life-history information. We find that the concentration of these elements distinguishes parous from nulliparous females; that in females calcium and phosphorus are lower in bone formed during reproductive events; and that significant differences in relative magnesium concentration correlate with breastfeeding in infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Cerrito
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York, United States of America
- Collegium Helveticum, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Bin Hu
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Justin Z. Goldstein
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rachel Kalisher
- Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Shara E. Bailey
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Timothy G. Bromage
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York, United States of America
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5
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Cooper EB, Brent LJN, Snyder-Mackler N, Singh M, Sengupta A, Khatiwada S, Malaivijitnond S, Qi Hai Z, Higham JP. The natural history of model organisms: the rhesus macaque as a success story of the Anthropocene. eLife 2022; 11:78169. [PMID: 35801697 PMCID: PMC9345599 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Of all the non-human primate species studied by researchers, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is likely the most widely used across biological disciplines. Rhesus macaques have thrived during the Anthropocene and now have the largest natural range of any non-human primate. They are highly social, exhibit marked genetic diversity, and display remarkable niche flexibility (which allows them to live in a range of habitats and survive on a variety of diets). These characteristics mean that rhesus macaques are well-suited for understanding the links between sociality, health and fitness, and also for investigating intra-specific variation, adaptation and other topics in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve B Cooper
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States
| | | | | | - Mewa Singh
- Biopsychology Laboratory, University of Mysore, Mysuru, India
| | | | - Sunil Khatiwada
- Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Garbatka, Poland
| | | | - Zhou Qi Hai
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States
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6
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Campos FA, Altmann J, Cords M, Fedigan LM, Lawler R, Lonsdorf EV, Stoinski TS, Strier KB, Bronikowski AM, Pusey AE, Alberts SC. Female reproductive aging in seven primate species: Patterns and consequences. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2117669119. [PMID: 35533284 PMCID: PMC9171789 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117669119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related changes in fertility have increasingly been documented in wild animal populations: In many species the youngest and oldest reproducers are disadvantaged relative to prime adults. How do these effects evolve, and what explains their diversity across species? Tackling this question requires detailed data on patterns of age-related reproductive performance in multiple animal species. Here, we compare patterns and consequences of age-related changes in female reproductive performance in seven primate populations that have been subjects of long-term continuous study for 29 to 57 y. We document evidence of age effects on fertility and on offspring performance in most, but not all, of these primate species. Specifically, females of six species showed longer interbirth intervals in the oldest age classes, youngest age classes, or both, and the oldest females also showed relatively fewer completed interbirth intervals. In addition, five species showed markedly lower survival among offspring born to the oldest mothers, and two species showed reduced survival for offspring born to both the youngest and the oldest mothers. In contrast, we found mixed evidence that maternal age affects the age at which daughters first reproduce: Only in muriquis and to some extent in chimpanzees, the only two species with female-biased dispersal, did relatively young mothers produce daughters that tended to have earlier first reproduction. Our findings demonstrate shared patterns as well as contrasts in age-related changes in female fertility across species of nonhuman primates and highlight species-specific behavior and life-history patterns as possible explanations for species-level differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando A. Campos
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249
| | - Jeanne Altmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Marina Cords
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
| | - Linda M. Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Richard Lawler
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
| | | | | | - Karen B. Strier
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Anne M. Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
| | - Anne E. Pusey
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708
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7
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de Weerth C, Aatsinki AK, Azad MB, Bartol FF, Bode L, Collado MC, Dettmer AM, Field CJ, Guilfoyle M, Hinde K, Korosi A, Lustermans H, Mohd Shukri NH, Moore SE, Pundir S, Rodriguez JM, Slupsky CM, Turner S, van Goudoever JB, Ziomkiewicz A, Beijers R. Human milk: From complex tailored nutrition to bioactive impact on child cognition and behavior. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2022; 63:7945-7982. [PMID: 35352583 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2053058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Human milk is a highly complex liquid food tailor-made to match an infant's needs. Beyond documented positive effects of breastfeeding on infant and maternal health, there is increasing evidence that milk constituents also impact child neurodevelopment. Non-nutrient milk bioactives would contribute to the (long-term) development of child cognition and behavior, a process termed 'Lactocrine Programming'. In this review we discuss the current state of the field on human milk composition and its links with child cognitive and behavioral development. To promote state-of-the-art methodologies and designs that facilitate data pooling and meta-analytic endeavors, we present detailed recommendations and best practices for future studies. Finally, we determine important scientific gaps that need to be filled to advance the field, and discuss innovative directions for future research. Unveiling the mechanisms underlying the links between human milk and child cognition and behavior will deepen our understanding of the broad functions of this complex liquid food, as well as provide necessary information for designing future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina de Weerth
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anna-Katariina Aatsinki
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Meghan B Azad
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Frank F Bartol
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Lars Bode
- Department of Pediatrics and Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence (MOMI CORE), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Maria Carmen Collado
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology-National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Amanda M Dettmer
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Catherine J Field
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Meagan Guilfoyle
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Katie Hinde
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Aniko Korosi
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, Brain Plasticity group, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hellen Lustermans
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nurul Husna Mohd Shukri
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sophie E Moore
- Department of Women & Children's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
- School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Nutrition Theme, MRC Unit The Gambia and the London, Fajara, The GambiaBanjul
| | - Shikha Pundir
- The Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Juan Miguel Rodriguez
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carolyn M Slupsky
- Department of Nutrition and Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sarah Turner
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Johannes B van Goudoever
- Department of Pediatrics, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Ziomkiewicz
- Department of Anthropology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Roseriet Beijers
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Social Development, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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8
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Lee DS, Knittel T, Deschner T, Heistermann M, Higham JP. Testing the role of testosterone versus estrogens in mediating reproductive transitions in female rhesus macaques. Horm Behav 2022; 139:105123. [PMID: 35149292 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In male vertebrates, testosterone is generally known to coordinate reproductive trade-offs, in part by promoting the transition to the next reproduction at the expense of current parental care. The role of testosterone in reproductive transitions has been little tested in female vertebrates, especially in mammals. The present study sought to fill this gap, by first undertaking an experimental study, in which we identified DHT, androstenediol, and in particular etiocholanolone, as fecal androgen metabolites which reflect serum testosterone concentration in female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Using concentrations of fecal etiocholanolone as proxy for circulating testosterone, we then conducted a field study on 46 free-ranging rhesus macaques of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, to test if testosterone mediates the trade-off between reproductive transition (a higher chance of reproducing in the next year) and current reproduction (providing more care to current offspring). While the evidence for testosterone was weak, the testing of fecal immunoreactive estrogen metabolites suggested a potential role of estrogen in reproductive trade-offs. We found large individual differences in fecal etiocholanolone concentrations during the early postpartum period that were unexplained even after accounting for sociodemographic factors such as age and dominance rank. Further investigation is needed to understand this variation. Our study suggests that the actions of testosterone in females may not have evolved to fulfil the same role in primate reproductive transitions as it does in males, and we encourage more studies to consider the function of testosterone in reproductive behaviors and life history transitions in females of mammalian taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Susie Lee
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York 10003, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York 10024, NY, USA.
| | - Tina Knittel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Interim Group Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Interim Group Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York 10003, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York 10024, NY, USA
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9
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Luevano L, Sutherland C, Gonzalez SJ, Hernández‐Pacheco R. Rhesus macaques compensate for reproductive delay following ecological adversity early in life. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8456. [PMID: 35136546 PMCID: PMC8809442 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Adversity early in life can shape the reproductive potential of individuals through negative effects on health and life span. However, long-lived populations with multiple reproductive events may present alternative life history strategies to optimize reproductive schedules and compensate for shorter life spans. Here, we quantify the effects of major hurricanes and density dependence as sources of early-life ecological adversity on Cayo Santiago rhesus macaque female reproduction and decompose their effects onto the mean age-specific fertility, reproductive pace, and lifetime reproductive success (LRS). Females experiencing major hurricanes exhibit a delayed reproductive debut but maintain the pace of reproduction past debut and show a higher mean fertility during prime reproductive ages, relative to unaffected females. Increasing density at birth is associated to a decrease in mean fertility and reproductive pace, but such association is absent at intermediate densities. When combined, our study reveals that hurricanes early in life predict a delay-overshoot pattern in mean age-specific fertility that supports the maintenance of LRS. In contrast to predictive adaptive response models of accelerated reproduction, this long-lived population presents a novel reproductive strategy where females who experience major natural disasters early in life ultimately overcome their initial reproductive penalty with no major negative fitness outcomes. Density presents a more complex relation with reproduction that suggests females experiencing a population regulated at intermediate densities early in life will escape density dependence and show optimized reproductive schedules. Our results support hypotheses about life history trade-offs in which adversity-affected females ensure their future reproductive potential by allocating more energy to growth or maintenance processes at younger adult ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan Luevano
- Department of Biological SciencesCalifornia State University‐Long BeachLong BeachCaliforniaUSA
| | - Chris Sutherland
- The Center for Research into Ecological and Environmental ModelingUniversity of St. AndrewsSt. AndrewsUK
| | - Stephanie J. Gonzalez
- Department of Biological SciencesCalifornia State University‐Long BeachLong BeachCaliforniaUSA
| | - Raisa Hernández‐Pacheco
- Department of Biological SciencesCalifornia State University‐Long BeachLong BeachCaliforniaUSA
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10
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Lee DS, Kang YHR, Ruiz-Lambides AV, Higham JP. The observed pattern and hidden process of female reproductive trajectories across the life span in a non-human primate. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2901-2914. [PMID: 34541669 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Age-specific fertility trajectories are fundamental to understanding population structure and the evolutionary ecology of diverse life histories. However, characterizing reproductive ageing has been difficult with cross-sectional data, where senescence especially late in life can be confounded by selective disappearance. Addressing such challenge requires longitudinal data tracking the reproductive life span of known individuals, but such data are rare, especially for very long-lived species such as primates. We analyse the entire life span trajectory of annual fertility, from reproductive maturity to death, for 673 free-ranging female rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs), we first tested if time to death explains the ageing pattern independently of and additionally to chronological age, and if so, whether there is interaction between them. While GLMM captures the patterns in the data well, it is not a generative model. For example, given the GLMM and an individual's reproductive trajectory up to a given age, we cannot directly predict the probability of reproduction or death in the next year. For this reason, we further fitted a hidden Markov chain model (HMM) which allows just such a prediction, and additionally helps infer the process underlying the observed trajectory. We show that, after accounting for individual differences in fertility, reproductive ageing exhibits both age-dependent decline and also an abrupt terminal decline independently of age at death. We infer from the HMM that the underlying process of reproductive trajectory is where individuals cycle between reproductive bouts until they enter an irreversible frail condition that constrains fertility. The findings provide valuable insights into the longitudinal progression of reproductive trajectories in primates, by revealing both age-dependent and age-independent patterns and processes of ageing, and contribute to a growing body of literature on reproductive ageing and senescence across animal taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Susie Lee
- Population Health, Max-Planck-Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yul H R Kang
- Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
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11
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Effects of early life adversity on maternal effort and glucocorticoids in wild olive baboons. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03056-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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12
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Rutherford JN, Ross CN, Ziegler T, Burke LA, Steffen AD, Sills A, Layne Colon D, deMartelly VA, Narapareddy LR, Tardif SD. Womb to womb: Maternal litter size and birth weight but not adult characteristics predict early neonatal death of offspring in the common marmoset monkey. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252093. [PMID: 34106943 PMCID: PMC8189522 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A singular focus on maternal health at the time of a pregnancy leaves much about perinatal mortality unexplained, especially when there is growing evidence for maternal early life effects. Further, lumping stillbirth and early neonatal death into a single category of perinatal mortality may obscure different causes and thus different avenues of screening and prevention. The common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus), a litter-bearing nonhuman primate, is an ideal species in which to study the independent effects of a mother's early life and adult phenotypes on pregnancy outcomes. We tested two hypotheses in 59 marmoset pregnancies at the Southwest National Primate Research Center and the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. We explored 1) whether pregnancy outcomes were predicted independently by maternal adult weight versus maternal litter size and birth weight, and 2) whether stillbirth and early neonatal death were differentially predicted by maternal variables. No maternal characteristics predicted stillbirth and no maternal adult characteristics predicted early neonatal death. In univariate Poisson models, triplet-born females had a significantly increased rate of early neonatal death (IRR[se] = 3.00[1.29], p = 0.011), while higher birth weight females had a decreased rate (IRR[se] = 0.89[0.05], p = 0.039). In multivariate Poisson models, maternal litter size remained an independent predictor, explaining 13% of the variance in early neonatal death. We found that the later in the first week those neonates died, the more weight they lost. Together these findings suggest that triplet-born and low birth weight females have distinct developmental trajectories underlying greater rates of infant loss, losses that we suggest may be attributable to developmental disruption of infant feeding and carrying. Our findings of early life contributions to adult pregnancy outcomes in the common marmoset disrupt mother-blaming narratives of pregnancy outcomes in humans. These narratives hold that the pregnant person is solely responsible for pregnancy outcomes and the health of their children, independent of socioecological factors, a moralistic framing that has shaped clinical pregnancy management. It is necessary to differentiate temporal trajectories and causes of perinatal loss and view them as embedded in external processes to develop screening, diagnostic, and treatment tools that consider the full arc of a mother's lived experience, from womb to womb and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julienne N. Rutherford
- Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Corinna N. Ross
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Toni Ziegler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Larisa A. Burke
- Office for Research Facilitation, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Alana D. Steffen
- Department of Population Health Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Aubrey Sills
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Donna Layne Colon
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Victoria A. deMartelly
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Laren R. Narapareddy
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Suzette D. Tardif
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
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13
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McKerracher L, Fried R, Kim AW, Moffat T, Sloboda DM, Galloway T. Synergies between the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease framework and multiple branches of evolutionary anthropology. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:214-219. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luseadra McKerracher
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Department of Anthropology McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Ruby Fried
- Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage Alaska USA
| | - Andrew W. Kim
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
| | - Tina Moffat
- Department of Anthropology McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Deborah M. Sloboda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Department of Pediatrics McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Farncombe Institute of Digestive Health McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Tracey Galloway
- Department of Anthropology University of Toronto Mississauga Ontario Canada
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14
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Lee DS, Mandalaywala TM, Dubuc C, Widdig A, Higham JP. Higher early life mortality with lower infant body mass in a free-ranging primate. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2300-2310. [PMID: 32614977 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Traits that reflect the amount of energy allocated to offspring by mothers, such as infant body mass, are predicted to have long-lasting effects on offspring fitness. In very long-lived species, such as anthropoid primates, where long-lasting and obligate parental care is required for successful recruitment of offspring, there are few studies on the fitness implications of low body mass among infants. Using body mass data collected from 253 free-ranging rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta infants on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, we examined if lower infant body mass predicts lower chance of survival through to reproductive maturation (4th year of life). We also used data on inter-birth intervals and suckling behaviours to determine whether the duration of maternal care was adjusted to infant body mass. Rhesus macaque infants experienced on average 5% reduced hazard of death for an increase in body mass of 0.1 SD (~100 g) above the mean within their age-sex class. The positive association between body mass and early life survival was most pronounced in the 1st year of life. Infant body mass tended to be lower if mothers were young or old, but the link between infant body mass and early life survival remained after controlling for maternal age. This finding suggests that maternal effects on early life survival such as maternal age may act through their influence on infant body mass. Mothers of heavier infants were less likely to be delayed in subsequent reproduction, but the estimated association slightly overlapped with zero. The timing of the last week of suckling did not differ by infant body mass. Using infant body mass data that has been rarely available from free-ranging primates, our study provides comparative evidence to strengthen the existing body of literature on the fitness implications of variation in infant body mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Susie Lee
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tara M Mandalaywala
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Constance Dubuc
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anja Widdig
- Junior Research Group of Primate Kin Selection, Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA.,Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
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15
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Scelza BA, Hinde K. Crucial Contributions : A Biocultural Study of Grandmothering During the Perinatal Period. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2020; 30:371-397. [PMID: 31802396 PMCID: PMC6911617 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-019-09356-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Maternal grandmothers play a key role in allomaternal care, directly caring for and provisioning their grandchildren as well as helping their daughters with household chores and productive labor. Previous studies have investigated these contributions across a broad time period, from infancy through toddlerhood. Here, we extend and refine the grandmothering literature to investigate the perinatal period as a critical window for grandmaternal contributions. We propose that mother-daughter co-residence during this period affords targeted grandmaternal effort during a period of heightened vulnerability and appreciable impact. We conducted two focus groups and 37 semi-structured interviews with Himba women. Interviews focused on experiences from their first and, if applicable, their most recent birth and included information on social support, domains of teaching and learning, and infant feeding practices. Our qualitative findings reveal three domains in which grandmothers contribute: learning to mother, breastfeeding support, and postnatal health and well-being. We show that informational, emotional, and instrumental support provided to new mothers and their neonates during the perinatal period can aid in the establishment of the mother-infant bond, buffer maternal energy balance, and improve nutritional outcomes for infants. These findings demonstrate that the role of grandmother can be crucial, even when alloparenting is common and breastfeeding is frequent and highly visible. Situated within the broader anthropological and clinical literature, these findings substantiate the claim that humans have evolved in an adaptive sociocultural perinatal complex in which grandmothers provide significant contributions to the health and well-being of their reproductive-age daughters and grandchildren.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke A Scelza
- Department of Anthropology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1553, USA. .,Center for Behavior, Evolution and Culture, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1553, USA.
| | - Katie Hinde
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
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16
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Wells JCK. Developmental plasticity as adaptation: adjusting to the external environment under the imprint of maternal capital. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180122. [PMID: 30966888 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticity is assumed to enable beneficial adjustment to the environment. In this context, developmental plasticity is generally approached within a two-stage framework, whereby adjustments to ecological cues in stage 1 are exposed to selection in stage 2. This conceptual approach may have limitations, because in species providing parental investment, particularly placental mammals such as humans, initial adjustments are not to the environment directly, but rather to the niche generated by parental phenotype (in mammals, primarily that of the mother). Only as maternal investment is withdrawn is the developing organism exposed directly to prevailing ecological conditions. A three-stage model may therefore be preferable, where developmental trajectory first adjusts to maternal investment, then to the external environment. Each offspring experiences a trade-off, benefitting from maternal investment during the most vulnerable stages of development, at the cost of exposure to investment strategies that maximize maternal fitness. Maternal life-history trade-offs impact the magnitude and schedule of her investment in her offspring, generating lifelong effects on traits related to health outcomes. Understanding the imprint of maternal capital on offspring is particularly important in species demonstrating social hierarchy. Interventions targeting maternal capital might offer new opportunities to improve health outcomes of both mother and offspring. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C K Wells
- Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health , 30 Guilford Street, London WC 1N 1EH , UK
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17
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Kuziez D, Harkey J, Burack S, Borja J, Quinn EA. Maternal birth weight is associated with milk epidermal growth factor in Filipino women. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 32:e23403. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Duaa Kuziez
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis University Saint Louis Missouri
| | - Jamie Harkey
- Department of Anthropology Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis Missouri
| | - Sarah Burack
- Department of Anthropology Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis Missouri
| | - Judith Borja
- Office of Population Studies University of San Carlos Cebu Philippines
| | - Elizabeth A. Quinn
- Department of Anthropology Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis Missouri
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18
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Beck RT, Lubach GR, Coe CL. Feasibility of successfully breeding rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to obtain healthy infants year-round. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23085. [PMID: 31875991 PMCID: PMC6980319 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Rhesus monkeys are typically seasonal breeders but can be induced to extend the timing of their mating and births under captive conditions. The following analyses evaluated the potential impact of extending their pregnancies and deliveries year-round. Birth records from a large breeding colony housed in an indoor facility with a constant 14-hr light/10-hr dark cycle were analyzed across 25 years to examine seasonal trends in monkeys that mated in one of two ways: spontaneous in social groups or with a scheduled, timed-mating protocol. The dates of delivery and birth weights for 2,084 infants were used in these analyses. Younger nulliparous females mating in social groups evinced a clear seasonal peak when birthing their first infant. However, older females, both primiparous and multiparous, could be bred continuously, which enable the birth of infants in every month of the year. Based on the live birth rate, infant birth weights, high survival rates, and the normal sex ratio of infants birthed year-round, there were no adverse effects of breeding rhesus monkeys in this way. The continuous availability of infant births can be very advantageous for many types of research programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert T. Beck
- Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715
| | - Gabriele R. Lubach
- Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715
| | - Christopher L. Coe
- Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715
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19
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Lu A, Petrullo L, Carrera S, Feder J, Schneider-Crease I, Snyder-Mackler N. Developmental responses to early-life adversity: Evolutionary and mechanistic perspectives. Evol Anthropol 2019; 28:249-266. [PMID: 31498945 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Adverse ecological and social conditions during early life are known to influence development, with rippling effects that may explain variation in adult health and fitness. The adaptive function of such developmental plasticity, however, remains relatively untested in long-lived animals, resulting in much debate over which evolutionary models are most applicable. Furthermore, despite the promise of clinical interventions that might alleviate the health consequences of early-life adversity, research on the proximate mechanisms governing phenotypic responses to adversity have been largely limited to studies on glucocorticoids. Here, we synthesize the current state of research on developmental plasticity, discussing both ultimate and proximate mechanisms. First, we evaluate the utility of adaptive models proposed to explain developmental responses to early-life adversity, particularly for long-lived mammals such as humans. In doing so, we highlight how parent-offspring conflict complicates our understanding of whether mothers or offspring benefit from these responses. Second, we discuss the role of glucocorticoids and a second physiological system-the gut microbiome-that has emerged as an additional, clinically relevant mechanism by which early-life adversity can influence development. Finally, we suggest ways in which nonhuman primates can serve as models to study the effects of early-life adversity, both from evolutionary and clinical perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Lu
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Lauren Petrullo
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Sofia Carrera
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Jacob Feder
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - India Schneider-Crease
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.,Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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20
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Petrullo L, Hinde K, Lu A. Steroid hormone concentrations in milk predict sex-specific offspring growth in a nonhuman primate. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 31:e23315. [PMID: 31468643 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In humans and other mammals, maternal hormones are transferred to offspring during lactation via milk and may regulate postnatal development, including the pace of early growth. Here, we used a nonhuman primate model to test the hypotheses that milk cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) concentrations reflect maternal characteristics, and that changes in these hormones across lactation are associated with early postnatal growth rates. METHODS Demographic information, morphometrics, and milk samples were collected from rhesus macaque mothers and their infants at the California National Primate Research Center in Davis, California. Using linear models, we examined the relationship between maternal traits and milk hormone concentrations (N = 104 females) and explored the effect of milk hormones on the rate of offspring growth (N = 72 mother-infant dyads), controlling for available milk energy. RESULTS Contrary to previous studies, we found that milk cortisol concentrations were categorically higher in multiparous females than in primiparous females. However, milk DHEAS concentrations decreased with maternal parity. Neither milk cortisol nor DHEAS were related to maternal rank. Finally, changes in milk hormones predicted offspring growth in a sex-specific and temporal manner: increases in cortisol from peak to late lactation predicted faster female growth, and increases in DHEAS concentrations from early to peak and peak to late lactation predicted faster male growth. CONCLUSIONS Our findings shed light on how hormonal components of milk have sex-specific effects on offspring growth during early postnatal life with varying temporal windows of sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Petrullo
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Katie Hinde
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,School for Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,Brain, Mind, and Behavior Unit, California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California
| | - Amy Lu
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
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21
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Wooddell LJ, Simpson EA, Murphy AM, Dettmer AM, Paukner A. Interindividual differences in neonatal sociality and emotionality predict juvenile social status in rhesus monkeys. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12749. [PMID: 30171780 PMCID: PMC10519424 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In humans, socioeconomic status (SES) has profound outcomes on socio-emotional development and health. However, while much is known about the consequences of SES, little research has examined the predictors of SES due to the longitudinal nature of such studies. We sought to explore whether interindividual differences in neonatal sociality, temperament, and early social experiences predicted juvenile social status in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), as a proxy for SES in humans. We performed neonatal imitation tests in infants' first week of life and emotional reactivity assessments at 2 and 4 weeks of age. We examined whether these traits, as well as the rearing environment in the first 8 months of life (with the mother or with same-aged peers only) and maternal social status predicted juvenile (2-3 years old) social status following the formation of peer social groups at 8 months. We found that infants who exhibited higher rates of neonatal imitation and newborn emotional reactivity achieved higher social status as juveniles, as did infants who were reared with their mothers, compared to infants reared with peers. Maternal social status was only associated with juvenile status for infant dyads reared in the same maternal group, indicating that relative social relationships were transferred through social experience. These results suggest that neonatal imitation and emotional reactivity may reflect ingrained predispositions toward sociality that predict later outcomes, and that nonnormative social experiences can alter socio-developmental trajectories. Our results indicate that neonatal characteristics and early social experiences predict later social outcomes in adolescence, including gradients of social stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J. Wooddell
- Neuroscience and Behavior, California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California
| | | | - Ashley M. Murphy
- Neuroscience and Behavior, California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Amanda M. Dettmer
- U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, American Psychological Association, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Annika Paukner
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Poolesville, Maryland
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