1
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Martine P, Aude A. Parental age at conception on mouse lemur's offspring longevity: Sex-specific maternal effects. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265783. [PMID: 36580457 PMCID: PMC9799291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental age at conception often influences offspring's longevity, a phenomenon referred as the "Lansing effect" described in large variety of organisms. But, the majority of the results refer to the survival of juveniles, mainly explained by an inadequate parental care by the elderly parents, mostly the mothers. Studies on the effect of parental age on offspring's longevity in adulthood remain few, except in humans for whom effects of parental age vary according to statistical models or socioeconomic environments. In a small primate in which the longevity reaches up to 13 years, we investigated the effects of parental age at conception on the longevity of offspring (N = 278) issued from parents with known longevity. None of the postnatal parameters (body mass at 30 and 60 days after birth, size and composition of the litter) influenced offspring's longevity. Mothers' age at conception negatively affected offspring's longevity in males but not in females. By contrast, fathers' age at conception did not influence offspring's longevity. Finally, the longevity of female offspring was significantly positively related to the longevity of both parents. Compared with current studies, the surprisingly minor effect of fathers 'age was related to the high seasonal reproduction and the particular telomere biology of mouse lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perret Martine
- UMR 7179, Adaptive mechanisms and Evolution, MECADEV, Brunoy, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Anzeraey Aude
- UMR 7179, Adaptive mechanisms and Evolution, MECADEV, Brunoy, France
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2
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Sparks AM, Hammers M, Komdeur J, Burke T, Richardson DS, Dugdale HL. Sex-dependent effects of parental age on offspring fitness in a cooperatively breeding bird. Evol Lett 2022; 6:438-449. [PMID: 36579166 PMCID: PMC9783413 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental age can have considerable effects on offspring phenotypes and health. However, intergenerational effects may also have longer term effects on offspring fitness. Few studies have investigated parental age effects on offspring fitness in natural populations while also testing for sex- and environment-specific effects. Further, longitudinal parental age effects may be masked by population-level processes such as the selective disappearance of poor-quality individuals. Here, we used multigenerational data collected on individually marked Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) to investigate the impact of maternal and paternal age on offspring life span and lifetime reproductive success. We found negative effects of maternal age on female offspring life span and lifetime reproductive success, which were driven by within-mother effects. There was no difference in annual reproductive output of females born to older versus younger mothers, suggesting that the differences in offspring lifetime reproductive success were driven by effects on offspring life span. In contrast, there was no association between paternal age and female offspring life span or either maternal or paternal age and male offspring life span. Lifetime reproductive success, but not annual reproductive success, of male offspring increased with maternal age, but this was driven by between-mother effects. No paternal age effects were found on female offspring lifetime reproductive success but there was a positive between-father effect on male offspring lifetime reproductive success. We did not find strong evidence for environment-dependent parental age effects. Our study provides evidence for parental age effects on the lifetime fitness of offspring and shows that such effects can be sex dependent. These results add to the growing literature indicating the importance of intergenerational effects on long-term offspring performance and highlight that these effects can be an important driver of variation in longevity and fitness in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M. Sparks
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of BiologyUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUnited Kingdom,School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUnited Kingdom
| | - Martijn Hammers
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9712 CPThe Netherlands,Aeres University of Applied SciencesAlmere1325 WBThe Netherlands
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9712 CPThe Netherlands
| | - Terry Burke
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUnited Kingdom
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom,Nature SeychellesMahéRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Hannah L. Dugdale
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of BiologyUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUnited Kingdom,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9712 CPThe Netherlands
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3
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Sharman P, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220691. [PMID: 36249332 DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18m0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Effects of parental age on offspring viability have been reported in a wide range of species. However, to what extent parental age influences offspring traits beyond viability remains unclear. Moreover, previous research has primarily focused on maternal age effects. The purpose of this study was to test for paternal and maternal age effects on offspring speed in thoroughbred racehorses. We analysed over 900 000 race performances by over 100 000 horses on British racecourses between 1996 and 2019. With knowledge of the age of all 41 107 dams and 2 887 sires at offspring conception, we jointly modelled maternal and paternal age effects using a 'within-individual centring' approach. Within-parents, we identified a significant effect of maternal age on offspring speed of -0.017 yards s-1 yr-1 and a corresponding paternal age effect of -0.011 yards s-1 yr-1. Although maternal age effects were stronger (more negative), the existence and magnitude of paternal effects is particularly noteworthy, given thoroughbred sires have no involvement in parental care. Our results also suggest that the selective disappearance of both sires and dams is ongoing. These findings could potentially be used to optimize thoroughbred racehorse breeding decisions, and more generally, add to the increasing body of evidence that both maternal and paternal age affect a range of offspring characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Sharman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Andrew J Young
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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4
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Sharman P, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220691. [PMID: 36249332 PMCID: PMC9532991 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Effects of parental age on offspring viability have been reported in a wide range of species. However, to what extent parental age influences offspring traits beyond viability remains unclear. Moreover, previous research has primarily focused on maternal age effects. The purpose of this study was to test for paternal and maternal age effects on offspring speed in thoroughbred racehorses. We analysed over 900 000 race performances by over 100 000 horses on British racecourses between 1996 and 2019. With knowledge of the age of all 41 107 dams and 2 887 sires at offspring conception, we jointly modelled maternal and paternal age effects using a 'within-individual centring' approach. Within-parents, we identified a significant effect of maternal age on offspring speed of -0.017 yards s-1 yr-1 and a corresponding paternal age effect of -0.011 yards s-1 yr-1. Although maternal age effects were stronger (more negative), the existence and magnitude of paternal effects is particularly noteworthy, given thoroughbred sires have no involvement in parental care. Our results also suggest that the selective disappearance of both sires and dams is ongoing. These findings could potentially be used to optimize thoroughbred racehorse breeding decisions, and more generally, add to the increasing body of evidence that both maternal and paternal age affect a range of offspring characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Sharman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Andrew J. Young
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alastair J. Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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5
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Sharman P, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220691. [PMID: 36249332 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6228607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Effects of parental age on offspring viability have been reported in a wide range of species. However, to what extent parental age influences offspring traits beyond viability remains unclear. Moreover, previous research has primarily focused on maternal age effects. The purpose of this study was to test for paternal and maternal age effects on offspring speed in thoroughbred racehorses. We analysed over 900 000 race performances by over 100 000 horses on British racecourses between 1996 and 2019. With knowledge of the age of all 41 107 dams and 2 887 sires at offspring conception, we jointly modelled maternal and paternal age effects using a 'within-individual centring' approach. Within-parents, we identified a significant effect of maternal age on offspring speed of -0.017 yards s-1 yr-1 and a corresponding paternal age effect of -0.011 yards s-1 yr-1. Although maternal age effects were stronger (more negative), the existence and magnitude of paternal effects is particularly noteworthy, given thoroughbred sires have no involvement in parental care. Our results also suggest that the selective disappearance of both sires and dams is ongoing. These findings could potentially be used to optimize thoroughbred racehorse breeding decisions, and more generally, add to the increasing body of evidence that both maternal and paternal age affect a range of offspring characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Sharman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Andrew J Young
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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6
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Bennett S, Girndt A, Sánchez-Tójar A, Burke T, Simons M, Schroeder J. Evidence of Paternal Effects on Telomere Length Increases in Early Life. Front Genet 2022; 13:880455. [PMID: 35656320 PMCID: PMC9152208 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.880455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring of older parents in many species have decreased longevity, a faster ageing rate and lower fecundity than offspring born to younger parents. Biomarkers of ageing, such as telomeres, that tend to shorten as individuals age, may provide insight into the mechanisms of such parental age effects. Parental age may be associated with offspring telomere length either directly through inheritance of shortened telomeres or indirectly, for example, through changes in parental care in older parents affecting offspring telomere length. Across the literature there is considerable variation in estimates of the heritability of telomere length, and in the direction and extent of parental age effects on telomere length. To address this, we experimentally tested how parental age is associated with the early-life telomere dynamics of chicks at two time points in a captive population of house sparrows Passer domesticus. We experimentally separated parental age from sex effects, and removed effects of age-assortative mating, by allowing the parent birds to only mate with young, or old partners. The effect of parental age was dependent on the sex of the parent and the chicks, and was found in the father-daughter relationship only; older fathers produced daughters with longer telomere lengths post-fledging. Overall we found that chick telomere length increased between the age of 0.5 and 3 months at the population and individual level. This finding is unusual in birds with such increases more commonly associated with non-avian taxa. Our results suggest parental age effects on telomere length are sex-specific either through indirect or direct inheritance. The study of similar patterns in different species and taxa will help us further understand variation in telomere length and its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Bennett
- Division of Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom
| | - Antje Girndt
- Division of Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar
- Division of Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Terry Burke
- School of Biosciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Mirre Simons
- School of Biosciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Schroeder
- Division of Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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7
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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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8
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Bleu J, Meylan S, Clobert J, Massot M. Grandmaternal age at reproduction affects grandoffspring body condition, reproduction and survival in a wild population of lizards. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Josefa Bleu
- Université de Strasbourg CNRS Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (UMR 7178 F‐67000 Strasbourg France
| | - Sandrine Meylan
- Sorbonne Université CNRS Institut d’Ecologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, iEES Paris F‐75005 Paris France
| | - Jean Clobert
- CNRS USR 2936, Station d’Écologie Expérimentale du CNRS, route du CNRS 09200 Moulis France
| | - Manuel Massot
- Sorbonne Université CNRS Institut d’Ecologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, iEES Paris F‐75005 Paris France
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9
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Angell CS, Janacek R, Rundle HD. Maternal and paternal age effects on male antler flies: a field experiment. Am Nat 2021; 199:436-442. [DOI: 10.1086/718236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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Travers LM, Carlsson H, Lind MI, Maklakov AA. Beneficial cumulative effects of old parental age on offspring fitness. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211843. [PMID: 34641727 PMCID: PMC8511764 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Old parental age is commonly associated with negative effects on offspring life-history traits. Such parental senescence effects are predicted to have a cumulative detrimental effect over successive generations. However, old parents may benefit from producing higher quality offspring when these compete for seasonal resources. Thus, old parents may choose to increase investment in their offspring, thereby producing fewer but larger and more competitive progeny. We show that Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites increase parental investment with advancing age, resulting in fitter offspring who reach their reproductive peak earlier. Remarkably, these effects increased over six successive generations of breeding from old parents and were subsequently reversed following a single generation of breeding from a young parent. Our findings support the hypothesis that offspring of old parents receive more resources and convert them into increasingly faster life histories. These results contradict the theory that old parents transfer a cumulative detrimental 'ageing factor' to their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Travers
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Hanne Carlsson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Martin I Lind
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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11
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Morimoto J. Parental ecological history can differentially modulate parental age effects on offspring physiological traits in Drosophila. Curr Zool 2021; 68:391-399. [PMID: 36090145 PMCID: PMC9450179 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parents adjust their reproductive investment over their lifespan based on their condition, age, and social environment, creating the potential for inter-generational effects to differentially affect offspring physiology. To date, however, little is known about how social environments experienced by parents throughout development and adulthood influence the effect of parental age on the expression of life-history traits in the offspring. Here, I collected data on Drosophila melanogaster offspring traits (i.e., body weight, water content, and lipid reserves) from populations where either mothers, fathers both, or neither parents experienced different social environments during development (larval crowding) and adulthood. Parental treatment modulated parental age effects on offspring lipid reserves but did not influence parental age effects on offspring water content. Importantly, parents in social environments where all individuals were raised in uncrowded larval densities produced daughters and sons lighter than parental treatments which produced the heaviest offspring. The peak in offspring body weight was delayed relative to the peak in parental reproductive success, but more strongly so for daughters from parental treatments where some or all males in the parental social environments were raised in crowded larval densities (irrespective of their social context), suggesting a potential father-to-daughter effect. Overall, the findings of this study reveal that parental ecological history (here, developmental and adult social environments) can modulate the effects of parental age at reproduction on the expression of offspring traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
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12
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Cooper EB, Bonnet T, Osmond H, Cockburn A, Kruuk LEB. Do the ages of parents or helpers affect offspring fitness in a cooperatively breeding bird? J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1735-1748. [PMID: 33045108 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Age-related changes in parental phenotypes or genotypes can impact offspring fitness, but separating germline from nongermline transgenerational effects of ageing is difficult for wild populations. Further, in cooperatively breeding species, in addition to parental ages, the age of 'helpers' attending offspring may also affect juvenile performance. Using a 30-year study of a cooperative breeder with very high rates of extra-pair paternity, the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus), we investigated the effects of maternal, paternal and helper ages on three measures of offspring performance: nestling weight, juvenile survival to independence and recruitment to the breeding population. Mothers with a longer lifespan had offspring with higher juvenile survival, indicating selective disappearance, but the effect of maternal age on juvenile survival was of similar magnitude but negative. For extra-pair offspring, there was no evidence of any effect of the ages of either the genetic sire or the cuckolded 'social' father. However, for within-pair offspring, there was a positive effect of paternal age on juvenile survival, which we suggest may be driven by sexual selection. There were positive associations between the average age of helpers attending a nest and two of the three aspects of offspring performance; these effects were stronger than any of the effects of parental age. In general, the multiple associations between offspring fitness and the ages of adults around them appeared to be driven more by age-related changes in environmental effects than by age-related changes in the germline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve B Cooper
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Timothée Bonnet
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Helen Osmond
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Andrew Cockburn
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Loeske E B Kruuk
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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13
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Depeux C, Lemaître JF, Moreau J, Dechaume-Moncharmont FX, Laverre T, Pauhlac H, Gaillard JM, Beltran-Bech S. Reproductive senescence and parental effects in an indeterminate grower. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1256-1264. [PMID: 32574391 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive senescence is the decrease of reproductive performance with increasing age and can potentially include trans-generational effects as the offspring produced by old parents might have a lower fitness than those produced by young parents. This negative effect may be caused either by the age of the father, mother or the interaction between the ages of both parents. Using the common woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare, an indeterminate grower, as a biological model, we tested for the existence of a deleterious effect of parental age on fitness components. Contrary to previous findings reported from vertebrate studies, old parents produced both a higher number and larger offspring than young parents. However, their offspring had lower fitness components (by surviving less, producing a smaller number of clutches or not reproducing at all) than offspring born to young parents. Our findings strongly support the existence of trans-generational senescence in woodlice and contradict the belief that old individuals in indeterminate growers contribute the most to recruitment and correspond thereby to the key life stage for population dynamics. Our work also provides rare evidence that the trans-generational effect of senescence can be stronger than direct reproductive senescence in indeterminate growers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Depeux
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France.,Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR CNRS 558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Jean-François Lemaître
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR CNRS 558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Jérôme Moreau
- UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.,Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, CNRS & La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-bois, France
| | | | - Tiffany Laverre
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Hélène Pauhlac
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR CNRS 558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Sophie Beltran-Bech
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
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14
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Heidinger BJ, Young RC. Cross‐Generational Effects of Parental Age on Offspring Longevity: Are Telomeres an Important Underlying Mechanism? Bioessays 2020; 42:e1900227. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Britt J. Heidinger
- Biological Sciences Department North Dakota State University Fargo ND 58108 USA
| | - Rebecca C. Young
- Biological Sciences Department North Dakota State University Fargo ND 58108 USA
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15
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Monaghan P, Maklakov AA, Metcalfe NB. Intergenerational Transfer of Ageing: Parental Age and Offspring Lifespan. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:927-937. [PMID: 32741650 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The extent to which the age of parents at reproduction can affect offspring lifespan and other fitness-related traits is important in our understanding of the selective forces shaping life history evolution. In this article, the widely reported negative effects of parental age on offspring lifespan (the 'Lansing effect') is examined. Outlined herein are the potential routes whereby a Lansing effect can occur, whether effects might accumulate across multiple generations, and how the Lansing effect should be viewed as part of a broader framework, considering how parental age affects offspring fitness. The robustness of the evidence for a Lansing effect produced so far, potential confounding variables, and how the underlying mechanisms might best be unravelled through carefully designed experimental studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, MVLS, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, MVLS, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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17
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Reichert S, Berger V, Jackson J, Chapman SN, Htut W, Mar KU, Lummaa V. Maternal age at birth shapes offspring life-history trajectory across generations in long-lived Asian elephants. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:996-1007. [PMID: 31222736 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Advanced maternal age at birth can have pronounced consequences for offspring health, survival and reproduction. If carried over to the next generation, such fitness effects could have important implications for population dynamics and the evolution of ageing, but these remain poorly understood. While many laboratory studies have investigated maternal age effects, relatively few studies have been conducted in natural populations, and they usually only present a "snapshot" of an offspring's lifetime. In the present study, we focus on how maternal age influences offspring life-history trajectories and performance in a long-lived mammal. We use a multigenerational demographic dataset of semi-captive Asian elephants to investigate maternal age effects on several offspring life-history traits: condition, reproductive success and overall survival. We show that offspring born to older mothers display reduced overall survival but higher reproductive success, and reduced survival of their own progeny. Our results show evidence of a persistent effect of maternal age on fitness across generations in a long-lived mammal. By highlighting transgenerational effects on the fitness of the next generation associated with maternal age, the present study helps increase our understanding of factors contributing to individual variation in ageing rates and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Reichert
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Vérane Berger
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - John Jackson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Win Htut
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Myanma Timber Enterprise, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Khyne U Mar
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Virpi Lummaa
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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18
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19
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Kroeger SB, Blumstein DT, Armitage KB, Reid JM, Martin JGA. Older mothers produce more successful daughters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:4809-4814. [PMID: 32071200 PMCID: PMC7060700 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908551117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Annual reproductive success and senescence patterns vary substantially among individuals in the wild. However, it is still seldom considered that senescence may not only affect an individual but also affect age-specific reproductive success in its offspring, generating transgenerational reproductive senescence. We used long-term data from wild yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) living in two different elevational environments to quantify age-specific reproductive success of daughters born to mothers differing in age. Contrary to prediction, daughters born to older mothers had greater annual reproductive success on average than daughters born to younger mothers, and this translated into greater lifetime reproductive success. However, in the favorable lower elevation environment, daughters born to older mothers also had greater age-specific decreases in annual reproductive success. In the harsher higher elevation environment on the other hand, daughters born to older mothers tended to die before reaching ages at which such senescent decreases could be observed. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating environment-specific transgenerational parent age effects on adult offspring age-specific life-history traits to fully understand the substantial variation observed in senescence patterns in wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja B Kroeger
- School of Biological Sciences, Zoology Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom;
- Department of Landscape and Biodiversity, The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, 7031 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224
| | - Kenneth B Armitage
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-7534
| | - Jane M Reid
- School of Biological Sciences, Zoology Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Realfagbygget, Gløshaugen, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Julien G A Martin
- School of Biological Sciences, Zoology Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
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20
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean‐Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS Université Lyon 1 University of Lyon Villeurbanne France
| | - Jean‐François Lemaître
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS Université Lyon 1 University of Lyon Villeurbanne France
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21
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Monaghan P, Metcalfe NB. The deteriorating soma and the indispensable germline: gamete senescence and offspring fitness. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192187. [PMID: 31847776 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The idea that there is an impenetrable barrier that separates the germline and soma has shaped much thinking in evolutionary biology and in many other disciplines. However, recent research has revealed that the so-called 'Weismann Barrier' is leaky, and that information is transferred from soma to germline. Moreover, the germline itself is now known to age, and to be influenced by an age-related deterioration of the soma that houses and protects it. This could reduce the likelihood of successful reproduction by old individuals, but also lead to long-term deleterious consequences for any offspring that they do produce (including a shortened lifespan). Here, we review the evidence from a diverse and multidisciplinary literature for senescence in the germline and its consequences; we also examine the underlying mechanisms responsible, emphasizing changes in mutation rate, telomere loss, and impaired mitochondrial function in gametes. We consider the effect on life-history evolution, particularly reproductive scheduling and mate choice. Throughout, we draw attention to unresolved issues, new questions to consider, and areas where more research is needed. We also highlight the need for a more comparative approach that would reveal the diversity of processes that organisms have evolved to slow or halt age-related germline deterioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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22
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Matsushima W, Brink K, Schroeder J, Miska EA, Gapp K. Mature sperm small-RNA profile in the sparrow: implications for transgenerational effects of age on fitness. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2019; 5:dvz007. [PMID: 31139435 PMCID: PMC6527922 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvz007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian sperm RNA has recently received a lot of interest due to its involvement in epigenetic germline inheritance. Studies of epigenetic germline inheritance have shown that environmental exposures can induce effects in the offspring without altering the DNA sequence of germ cells. Most mechanistic studies were conducted in laboratory rodents and C.elegans while observational studies confirm the phenotypic phenomenon in wild populations of humans and other species including birds. Prominently, paternal age in house sparrows affects offspring fitness, yet the mechanism is unknown. This study provides a first reference of house sparrow sperm small RNA as an attempt to uncover their role in the transmission of the effects of paternal age on the offspring. In this small-scale pilot, we found no statistically significant differences between miRNA and tRNA fragments in aged and prime sparrow sperm. These results indicate a role of other epigenetic information carriers, such as distinct RNA classes, RNA modifications, DNA methylation and retained histones, and a clear necessity of future studies in wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayo Matsushima
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Human Genetics Programme, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Kristiana Brink
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Julia Schroeder
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Eric A Miska
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Human Genetics Programme, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Katharina Gapp
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Human Genetics Programme, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
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23
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Karniski C, Krzyszczyk E, Mann J. Senescence impacts reproduction and maternal investment in bottlenose dolphins. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181123. [PMID: 30051841 PMCID: PMC6083244 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive senescence is evident across many mammalian species. An emerging perspective considers components of reproductive senescence as evolutionarily distinct phenomena: fertility senescence and maternal-effect senescence. While fertility senescence is regarded as the ageing of reproductive physiology, maternal-effect senescence pertains to the declining capacity to provision and rear surviving offspring due to age. Both contribute to reproductive failure in utero making it difficult to differentiate between the two prenatally in the wild. We investigated both components in a long-lived mammal with prolonged maternal care through three parameters: calf survival, interbirth interval (IBI) and lactation period. We provide clear evidence for reproductive senescence in a wild population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) using 34+ years of longitudinal data on 229 adult females and 562 calves. Calf survival decreased with maternal age, and calves with older mothers had lower survival than predicted by birth order, suggesting maternal-effect senescence. Both lactation period and IBIs increased with maternal age, and IBIs increased regardless of calf mortality, indicating interactions between fertility and maternal-effect senescence. Of calves that survived to weaning, last-born calves weaned later than earlier-born calves, evidence of terminal investment, a mitigating strategy given reduced reproductive value caused by either components of reproductive senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Karniski
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Ewa Krzyszczyk
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Janet Mann
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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24
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Dubuc-Messier G, Caro SP, Perrier C, van Oers K, Réale D, Charmantier A. Gene flow does not prevent personality and morphological differentiation between two blue tit populations. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1127-1137. [PMID: 29791058 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the causes and consequences of population phenotypic divergence is a central goal in ecology and evolution. Phenotypic divergence among populations can result from genetic divergence, phenotypic plasticity or a combination of the two. However, few studies have deciphered these mechanisms for populations geographically close and connected by gene flow, especially in the case of personality traits. In this study, we used a common garden experiment to explore the genetic basis of the phenotypic divergence observed between two blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations inhabiting contrasting habitats separated by 25 km, for two personality traits (exploration speed and handling aggression), one physiological trait (heart rate during restraint) and two morphological traits (tarsus length and body mass). Blue tit nestlings were removed from their population and raised in a common garden for up to 5 years. We then compared adult phenotypes between the two populations, as well as trait-specific Qst and Fst . Our results revealed differences between populations similar to those found in the wild, suggesting a genetic divergence for all traits. Qst -Fst comparisons revealed that the trait divergences likely result from dissimilar selection patterns rather than from genetic drift. Our study is one of the first to report a Qst -Fst comparison for personality traits and adds to the growing body of evidence that population genetic divergence is possible at a small scale for a variety of traits including behavioural traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Dubuc-Messier
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 5175, Montpellier, France.,Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Samuel P Caro
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 5175, Montpellier, France.,Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Charles Perrier
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 5175, Montpellier, France
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 5175, Montpellier, France.,Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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25
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Kroeger SB, Blumstein DT, Armitage KB, Reid JM, Martin JGA. Age, state, environment, and season dependence of senescence in body mass. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:2050-2061. [PMID: 29468024 PMCID: PMC5817150 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Revised: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Senescence is a highly variable process that comprises both age-dependent and state-dependent components and can be greatly affected by environmental conditions. However, few studies have quantified the magnitude of age-dependent and state-dependent senescence in key life-history traits across individuals inhabiting different spatially structured and seasonal environments. We used longitudinal data from wild female yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), living in two adjacent environments that differ in elevation and associated phenology, to quantify how age and individual state, measured as "time to death," affect body mass senescence in different environments. Further, we quantified how patterns of senescence differed between two biologically distinct seasons, spring, and late summer. Body mass senescence had an age-dependent component, expressed as a decrease in mass in old age. Overall, estimated age-dependent senescence was greater in females living in the more favorable lower elevation environment, than in the harsher higher elevation environment, and greater in late summer than in spring. Body mass senescence also had a state-dependent component, captured by effects of time to death, but only in the more favorable lower elevation environment. In spring, body mass gradually decreased from 2 years before death, whereas in late summer, state-dependent effects were expressed as a terminal decrease in body mass in the last year of life. Contrary to expectations, we found that senescence was more likely to be observed under more favorable environmental conditions, rather than under harsher conditions. By further demonstrating that senescence patterns differ among seasons, our results imply that within-year temporal environmental variation must be considered alongside spatial environmental variation in order to characterize and understand the pattern and magnitude of senescence in wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja B. Kroeger
- Institute of Biological and Environmental SciencesSchool of Biological SciencesZoology BuildingUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological LaboratoryCrested ButteCOUSA
| | - Kenneth B. Armitage
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology DepartmentThe University of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
| | - Jane M. Reid
- Institute of Biological and Environmental SciencesSchool of Biological SciencesZoology BuildingUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
| | - Julien G. A. Martin
- Institute of Biological and Environmental SciencesSchool of Biological SciencesZoology BuildingUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
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26
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Ankutowicz EJ, Laird RA. Offspring of older parents are smaller-but no less bilaterally symmetrical-than offspring of younger parents in the aquatic plant Lemna turionifera. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:679-687. [PMID: 29321904 PMCID: PMC5756881 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring quality decreases with parental age in many taxa, with offspring of older parents exhibiting reduced life span, reproductive capacity, and fitness, compared to offspring of younger parents. These "parental age effects," whose consequences arise in the next generation, can be considered as manifestations of parental senescence, in addition to the more familiar age-related declines in parent-generation survival and reproduction. Parental age effects are important because they may have feedback effects on the evolution of demographic trajectories and longevity. In addition to altering the timing of offspring life-history milestones, parental age effects can also have a negative impact on offspring size, with offspring of older parents being smaller than offspring of younger parents. Here, we consider the effects of advancing parental age on a different aspect of offspring morphology, body symmetry. In this study, we followed all 403 offspring of 30 parents of a bilaterally symmetrical, clonally reproducing aquatic plant species, Lemna turionifera, to test the hypothesis that successive offspring become less symmetrical as their parent ages, using the "Continuous Symmetry Measure" as an index. Although successive offspring of aging parents older than one week became smaller and smaller, we found scant evidence for any reduction in bilateral symmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Ankutowicz
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Lethbridge Lethbridge AB Canada
| | - Robert A Laird
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Lethbridge Lethbridge AB Canada
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27
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Bowers EK, Sakaluk SK, Thompson CF. Interactive effects of parental age on offspring fitness and age-assortative mating in a wild bird. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2017; 327:302-310. [PMID: 29218330 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Variation in parental age can have important consequences for offspring fitness and the structure of populations and disease transmission. However, our understanding of the effects of parental age on offspring in natural populations is limited. Here, we investigate consequences of parental age for offspring fitness and test for age-assortative mating in a short-lived bird, the house wren (Troglodytes aedon). Offspring immunoresponsiveness increased with maternal age and decreased with paternal age, but the strength of these effects varied with the age of one's mate. Offspring immunoresponsiveness was augmented most with older mothers and younger fathers. Thus, we expected this combination of ages to yield the highest offspring fitness. However, offspring recruitment, longevity, and lifetime reproductive success were greatest when both parents were of above-average age. Consistent with the interactive effects of parental age on offspring fitness, we detected positive age-assortative mating among breeding pairs. Our results suggest that selection favors age-assortative mating, but in different ways depending on how parental ages affect offspring. We suggest that, in this short-lived species, selection for combinations of parental ages that maximize offspring immune responses is likely weaker than selection to produce breeding adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emerson Keith Bowers
- Department of Biological Sciences and Edward J. Meeman Biological Station, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
| | - Charles F Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
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28
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Criscuolo F, Zahn S, Bize P. Offspring telomere length in the long lived Alpine swift is negatively related to the age of their biological father and foster mother. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2017.0188. [PMID: 28904178 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of studies is showing that offspring telomere length (TL) can be influenced by the age of their parents. Such a relationship might be explained by variation in TL at conception (gamete effect) and/or by alteration of early growth conditions in species providing parental care. In a long-lived bird with bi-parental care, the Alpine swift (Apus melba), we exchanged an uneven number of 2 to 4-day-old nestlings between pairs as part of a brood size manipulation. Nestling TL was measured at 50 days after hatching, which allowed investigation of the influence of the age of both their biological and foster parents on offspring TL, after controlling for the manipulation. Nestling TL was negatively related to the age of their biological father and foster mother. Nestling TL did not differ between enlarged and reduced broods. These findings suggest that offspring from older males were fertilized by gametes with shorter telomeres, presumably due to a greater cell division history or a longer accumulation of damage, and that older females may have provided poorer parental care to their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandrine Zahn
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre Bize
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
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29
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Lippens C, Faivre B, Lechenault C, Sorci G. Aging parasites produce offspring with poor fitness prospects. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2016.0888. [PMID: 28202684 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Senescing individuals have poor survival prospects and low fecundity. They can also produce offspring with reduced survival and reproductive success. We tested the effect of parental age on the performance of descendants in the nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus, an intestinal parasite of rodents. We found that offspring of senescing worms had reduced within-host survival and reduced egg shedding over the first month post-infection compared with offspring produced by young parents. These results suggest that declining offspring quality is a component of senescence in parasitic nematodes and might have evolutionary consequences for the optimal schedule of age-dependent investment into reproductive effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Lippens
- Biogéosciences, CNRS UMR6282, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Bd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Bruno Faivre
- Biogéosciences, CNRS UMR6282, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Bd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Clothilde Lechenault
- Biogéosciences, CNRS UMR6282, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Bd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Gabriele Sorci
- Biogéosciences, CNRS UMR6282, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Bd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
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30
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Fay R, Barbraud C, Delord K, Weimerskirch H. Paternal but not maternal age influences early-life performance of offspring in a long-lived seabird. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:rspb.2015.2318. [PMID: 27053738 PMCID: PMC4843644 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability in demographic traits between individuals within populations has profound implications for both evolutionary processes and population dynamics. Parental effects as a source of non-genetic inheritance are important processes to consider to understand the causes of individual variation. In iteroparous species, parental age is known to influence strongly reproductive success and offspring quality, but consequences on an offspring fitness component after independence are much less studied. Based on 37 years longitudinal monitoring of a long-lived seabird, the wandering albatross, we investigate delayed effects of parental age on offspring fitness components. We provide evidence that parental age influences offspring performance beyond the age of independence. By distinguishing maternal and paternal age effects, we demonstrate that paternal age, but not maternal age, impacts negatively post-fledging offspring performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Fay
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS/Univ La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS/Univ La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Karine Delord
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS/Univ La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS/Univ La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
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31
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Mills JA, Teplitsky C, Arroyo B, Charmantier A, Becker PH, Birkhead TR, Bize P, Blumstein DT, Bonenfant C, Boutin S, Bushuev A, Cam E, Cockburn A, Côté SD, Coulson JC, Daunt F, Dingemanse NJ, Doligez B, Drummond H, Espie RHM, Festa-Bianchet M, Frentiu F, Fitzpatrick JW, Furness RW, Garant D, Gauthier G, Grant PR, Griesser M, Gustafsson L, Hansson B, Harris MP, Jiguet F, Kjellander P, Korpimäki E, Krebs CJ, Lens L, Linnell JDC, Low M, McAdam A, Margalida A, Merilä J, Møller AP, Nakagawa S, Nilsson JÅ, Nisbet ICT, van Noordwijk AJ, Oro D, Pärt T, Pelletier F, Potti J, Pujol B, Réale D, Rockwell RF, Ropert-Coudert Y, Roulin A, Sedinger JS, Swenson JE, Thébaud C, Visser ME, Wanless S, Westneat DF, Wilson AJ, Zedrosser A. Archiving Primary Data: Solutions for Long-Term Studies. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 30:581-589. [PMID: 26411615 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2015] [Revised: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The recent trend for journals to require open access to primary data included in publications has been embraced by many biologists, but has caused apprehension amongst researchers engaged in long-term ecological and evolutionary studies. A worldwide survey of 73 principal investigators (Pls) with long-term studies revealed positive attitudes towards sharing data with the agreement or involvement of the PI, and 93% of PIs have historically shared data. Only 8% were in favor of uncontrolled, open access to primary data while 63% expressed serious concern. We present here their viewpoint on an issue that can have non-trivial scientific consequences. We discuss potential costs of public data archiving and provide possible solutions to meet the needs of journals and researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Céline Teplitsky
- Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité, UMR 7204 CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
| | - Beatriz Arroyo
- Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos (IREC) (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad, Real, Spain
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175, Campus CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Peter H Becker
- Institute of Avian Research, 'Vogelwarte Helgoland', An der Vogelwarte 21 D26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Tim R Birkhead
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Pierre Bize
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Christophe Bonenfant
- CNRS,Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, UMR 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, 43 boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne CEDEX, France
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Andrey Bushuev
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/12, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Emmanuelle Cam
- UMR 5174 EDB Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, CNRS, ENFA, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse CEDEX 9, France
| | - Andrew Cockburn
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Steeve D Côté
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Etudes Nordiques, Université Laval, 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
| | | | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB UK
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany; Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Blandine Doligez
- CNRS,Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, UMR 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, 43 boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne CEDEX, France
| | - Hugh Drummond
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70-275, México DF 04510, México
| | - Richard H M Espie
- Technical Resource Branch, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, 3211 Albert Street, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 5W6, Canada
| | - Marco Festa-Bianchet
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Francesca Frentiu
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059 Australia
| | - John W Fitzpatrick
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Robert W Furness
- Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Gilles Gauthier
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Etudes Nordiques, Université Laval, 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Peter R Grant
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1003, USA
| | - Michael Griesser
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Gustafsson
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hansson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Michael P Harris
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB UK
| | - Frédéric Jiguet
- CESCO, UMR7204 Sorbonne Universités-MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, CP51, 55 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Petter Kjellander
- Grimso Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) 73091, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Erkki Korpimäki
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Charles J Krebs
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - John D C Linnell
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Sluppen, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Matthew Low
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Andrew McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Antoni Margalida
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Engineering, University of Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
| | - Juha Merilä
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Department of Biosciences, PO Box 65 (Biocenter 3, Viikinkaari 1), University of Helsinki, 00014 Helskinki, Finland
| | - Anders P Møller
- Laboratoire Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Equipe Diversité, Ecologie et Evolution Microbiennes, Bâtiment 362, 91405 Orsay CEDEX, France
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jan-Åke Nilsson
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ian C T Nisbet
- I.C.T. Nisbet and Company, 150 Alder Lane, North Falmouth, MA 02556, USA
| | - Arie J van Noordwijk
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel Oro
- Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marques 21, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Spain
| | - Tomas Pärt
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Jaime Potti
- Departamento de Ecologia Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Av. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Benoit Pujol
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec A Montréal, CP 8888 Cuccursale Centre Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Robert F Rockwell
- Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024 USA
| | - Yan Ropert-Coudert
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS UMR7178, 23 rue Becquerel 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - James S Sedinger
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada Reno, Reno NV 89512, USA
| | - Jon E Swenson
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, 1432 Ås, and Norway and Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Sluppen, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Christophe Thébaud
- UMR 5174 EDB Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, CNRS, ENFA, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse CEDEX 9, France
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB UK
| | - David F Westneat
- Department of Biology, Center for Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, 3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
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32
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Lemaître JF, Berger V, Bonenfant C, Douhard M, Gamelon M, Plard F, Gaillard JM. Early-late life trade-offs and the evolution of ageing in the wild. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20150209. [PMID: 25833848 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Empirical evidence for declines in fitness components (survival and reproductive performance) with age has recently accumulated in wild populations, highlighting that the process of senescence is nearly ubiquitous in the living world. Senescence patterns are highly variable among species and current evolutionary theories of ageing propose that such variation can be accounted for by differences in allocation to growth and reproduction during early life. Here, we compiled 26 studies of free-ranging vertebrate populations that explicitly tested for a trade-off between performance in early and late life. Our review brings overall support for the presence of early-late life trade-offs, suggesting that the limitation of available resources leads individuals to trade somatic maintenance later in life for high allocation to reproduction early in life. We discuss our results in the light of two closely related theories of ageing-the disposable soma and the antagonistic pleiotropy theories-and propose that the principle of energy allocation roots the ageing process in the evolution of life-history strategies. Finally, we outline research topics that should be investigated in future studies, including the importance of natal environmental conditions in the study of trade-offs between early- and late-life performance and the evolution of sex-differences in ageing patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Lemaître
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vérane Berger
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Christophe Bonenfant
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mathieu Douhard
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marlène Gamelon
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Floriane Plard
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
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33
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Barks PM, Laird RA. A multigenerational effect of parental age on offspring size but not fitness in common duckweed (Lemna minor). J Evol Biol 2016; 29:748-56. [PMID: 26728747 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Classic theories on the evolution of senescence make the simplifying assumption that all offspring are of equal quality, so that demographic senescence only manifests through declining rates of survival or fecundity. However, there is now evidence that, in addition to declining rates of survival and fecundity, many organisms are subject to age-related declines in the quality of offspring produced (i.e. parental age effects). Recent modelling approaches allow for the incorporation of parental age effects into classic demographic analyses, assuming that such effects are limited to a single generation. Does this 'single-generation' assumption hold? To find out, we conducted a laboratory study with the aquatic plant Lemna minor, a species for which parental age effects have been demonstrated previously. We compared the size and fitness of 423 laboratory-cultured plants (asexually derived ramets) representing various birth orders, and ancestral 'birth-order genealogies'. We found that offspring size and fitness both declined with increasing 'immediate' birth order (i.e. birth order with respect to the immediate parent), but only offspring size was affected by ancestral birth order. Thus, the assumption that parental age effects on offspring fitness are limited to a single generation does in fact hold for L. minor. This result will guide theorists aiming to refine and generalize modelling approaches that incorporate parental age effects into evolutionary theory on senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Barks
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - R A Laird
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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34
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Heidinger BJ, Herborn KA, Granroth‐Wilding HM, Boner W, Burthe S, Newell M, Wanless S, Daunt F, Monaghan P. Parental age influences offspring telomere loss. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Britt J. Heidinger
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Katherine A. Herborn
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Hanna M.V. Granroth‐Wilding
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Immunology and Infection Research School of Biological Sciences University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT UK
| | - Winnie Boner
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Sarah Burthe
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Bush Estate Penicuik Midlothian EH26 0QB UK
| | - Mark Newell
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Bush Estate Penicuik Midlothian EH26 0QB UK
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Bush Estate Penicuik Midlothian EH26 0QB UK
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Bush Estate Penicuik Midlothian EH26 0QB UK
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
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35
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van den Heuvel J, English S, Uller T. Disposable Soma Theory and the Evolution of Maternal Effects on Ageing. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0145544. [PMID: 26752635 PMCID: PMC4709080 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal effects are ubiquitous in nature and affect a wide range of offspring phenotypes. Recent research suggests that maternal effects also contribute to ageing, but the theoretical basis for these observations is poorly understood. Here we develop a simple model to derive expectations for (i) if maternal effects on ageing evolve; (ii) the strength of maternal effects on ageing relative to direct environmental effects; and (iii) the predicted relationships between environmental quality, maternal age and offspring lifespan. Our model is based on the disposable soma theory of ageing, and the key assumption is thus that mothers trade off their own somatic maintenance against investment in offspring. This trade-off affects the biological age of offspring at birth in terms of accumulated damage, as indicated by biomarkers such as oxidative stress or telomere length. We find that the optimal allocation between investment in maternal somatic investment and investment in offspring results in old mothers and mothers with low resource availability producing offspring with reduced life span. Furthermore, the effects are interactive, such that the strongest maternal age effects on offspring lifespan are found under low resource availability. These findings are broadly consistent with results from laboratory studies investigating the onset and rate of ageing and field studies examining maternal effects on ageing in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost van den Heuvel
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, United Kingdom
- Plant Sciences Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1 6708PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sinead English
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Tobias Uller
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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36
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Abstract
Increased maternal age at reproduction is often associated with decreased offspring performance in numerous species of plants and animals (including humans). Current evolutionary theory considers such maternal effect senescence as part of a unified process of reproductive senescence, which is under identical age-specific selective pressures to fertility. We offer a novel theoretical perspective by combining William Hamilton's evolutionary model for aging with a quantitative genetic model of indirect genetic effects. We demonstrate that fertility and maternal effect senescence are likely to experience different patterns of age-specific selection and thus can evolve to take divergent forms. Applied to neonatal survival, we find that selection for maternal effects is the product of age-specific fertility and Hamilton's age-specific force of selection for fertility. Population genetic models show that senescence for these maternal effects can evolve in the absence of reproductive or actuarial senescence; this implies that maternal effect aging is a fundamentally distinct demographic manifestation of the evolution of aging. However, brief periods of increasingly beneficial maternal effects can evolve when fertility increases with age faster than cumulative survival declines. This is most likely to occur early in life. Our integration of theory provides a general framework with which to model, measure, and compare the evolutionary determinants of the social manifestations of aging. Extension of our maternal effects model to other ecological and social contexts could provide important insights into the drivers of the astonishing diversity of lifespans and aging patterns observed among species.
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37
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Santure AW, Poissant J, De Cauwer I, van Oers K, Robinson MR, Quinn JL, Groenen MAM, Visser ME, Sheldon BC, Slate J. Replicated analysis of the genetic architecture of quantitative traits in two wild great tit populations. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:6148-62. [PMID: 26661500 PMCID: PMC4738425 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 10/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Currently, there is much debate on the genetic architecture of quantitative traits in wild populations. Is trait variation influenced by many genes of small effect or by a few genes of major effect? Where is additive genetic variation located in the genome? Do the same loci cause similar phenotypic variation in different populations? Great tits (Parus major) have been studied extensively in long‐term studies across Europe and consequently are considered an ecological ‘model organism’. Recently, genomic resources have been developed for the great tit, including a custom SNP chip and genetic linkage map. In this study, we used a suite of approaches to investigate the genetic architecture of eight quantitative traits in two long‐term study populations of great tits—one in the Netherlands and the other in the United Kingdom. Overall, we found little evidence for the presence of genes of large effects in either population. Instead, traits appeared to be influenced by many genes of small effect, with conservative estimates of the number of contributing loci ranging from 31 to 310. Despite concordance between population‐specific heritabilities, we found no evidence for the presence of loci having similar effects in both populations. While population‐specific genetic architectures are possible, an undetected shared architecture cannot be rejected because of limited power to map loci of small and moderate effects. This study is one of few examples of genetic architecture analysis in replicated wild populations and highlights some of the challenges and limitations researchers will face when attempting similar molecular quantitative genetic studies in free‐living populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna W Santure
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.,Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Jocelyn Poissant
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Isabelle De Cauwer
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Unité Evolution, Ecologie et Paléontologie, UMR 8198, Université de Lille - Sciences et Technologies, 59655 Cedex, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Matthew R Robinson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Martien A M Groenen
- Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, Wageningen University, De Elst 1, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Jon Slate
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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Cotto O, Massot M, Ronce O, Clobert J. Dispersal as a source of variation in age-specific reproductive strategies in a wild population of lizards. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20151741. [PMID: 26631560 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersal syndromes describe the patterns of covariation of morphological, behavioural, and life-history traits associated with dispersal. Studying dispersal syndromes is critical to understanding the demographic and genetic consequences of movements. Among studies describing the association of life-history traits with dispersal, there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that dispersal syndromes can vary with age. Recent theory also suggests that dispersive and philopatric individuals might have different age-specific reproductive efforts. In a wild population of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara), we investigated whether dispersive and philopatric individuals have different age-specific reproductive effort, survival, offspring body condition, and offspring sex ratio. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we found that young dispersive females have a higher reproductive effort than young philopatric females. Our results also suggest that the early high investment in reproduction of dispersive females trades-off with an earlier onset of senescence than in philopatric females. We further found that young dispersive females produce smaller offspring in lower body condition than do young philopatric females. Overall, our results provide empirical evidence that dispersive and philopatric individuals have different age-specific life-history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Cotto
- Université Montpellier 2, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CC65, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Manuel Massot
- UMPC, CNRS, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, 7 quai Saint Bernard, CC 237, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Ophélie Ronce
- Université Montpellier 2, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CC65, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Experimentale du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France
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Plaistow SJ, Shirley C, Collin H, Cornell SJ, Harney ED. Offspring Provisioning Explains Clone-Specific Maternal Age Effects on Life History and Life Span in the Water Flea, Daphnia pulex. Am Nat 2015; 186:376-89. [DOI: 10.1086/682277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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40
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Abstract
It is widely expected that the quality of offspring will vary with the age of their parents and that this variation should influence animals’ choice of mates. However, theoretical predictions for age effects are contradictory and, to our knowledge, we do not know for any wild animal how the quality of offspring is affected by both parents’ ages across their lifespans, or whether mothers’ and fathers’ ages interact. We tackled this question using long-term data on a highly philopatric, insular population of the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii). In this species extra-pair paternity is most common in pairs of two young parents or two old parents, implying that these age combinations might prejudice offspring quality. Analysis of the viability of 3,361 offspring of parents up to 21 years old revealed that fledglings with two young parents or two old parents were least likely to become breeders, whereas fledglings with one young parent and one old parent were most likely to do so. For young parents of either sex, offspring viability increased with age of the other parent; for very old parents, it decreased. These effects could be mediated by parents flexibly modifying their investment in offspring in response to their own and their partners´ ages, but evidence for this was lacking. In 5,343 breeding attempts, although mothers’ and fathers’ ages independently affected four heavily care-dependent breeding traits at the clutch and nestling stages, their interaction did not affect any trait. The effects of parental age combinations on viability could also be mediated by genes: fledglings with one young parent and one old parent could benefit from greater heterozygosity or better genes.
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41
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Bouwhuis S, Vedder O, Becker PH. Sex-specific pathways of parental age effects on offspring lifetime reproductive success in a long-lived seabird. Evolution 2015; 69:1760-71. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Bouwhuis
- Institute of Avian Research; An der Vogelwarte 21; D-26386 Wilhelmshaven Germany
| | - Oscar Vedder
- Institute of Avian Research; An der Vogelwarte 21; D-26386 Wilhelmshaven Germany
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences; University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Peter H. Becker
- Institute of Avian Research; An der Vogelwarte 21; D-26386 Wilhelmshaven Germany
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42
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Gossmann TI, Santure AW, Sheldon BC, Slate J, Zeng K. Highly variable recombinational landscape modulates efficacy of natural selection in birds. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 6:2061-75. [PMID: 25062920 PMCID: PMC4231635 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evu157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the rate of protein evolution and identifying the causes of its variation across the genome are powerful ways to understand forces that are important for genome evolution. By using a multitissue transcriptome data set from great tit (Parus major), we analyzed patterns of molecular evolution between two passerine birds, great tit and zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), using the chicken genome (Gallus gallus) as an outgroup. We investigated whether a special feature of avian genomes, the highly variable recombinational landscape, modulates the efficacy of natural selection through the effects of Hill-Robertson interference, which predicts that selection should be more effective in removing deleterious mutations and incorporating beneficial mutations in high-recombination regions than in low-recombination regions. In agreement with these predictions, genes located in low-recombination regions tend to have a high proportion of neutrally evolving sites and relaxed selective constraint on sites subject to purifying selection, whereas genes that show strong support for past episodes of positive selection appear disproportionally in high-recombination regions. There is also evidence that genes located in high-recombination regions tend to have higher gene expression specificity than those located in low-recombination regions. Furthermore, more compact genes (i.e., those with fewer/shorter introns or shorter proteins) evolve faster than less compact ones. In sum, our results demonstrate that transcriptome sequencing is a powerful method to answer fundamental questions about genome evolution in nonmodel organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni I Gossmann
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Anna W Santure
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, United KingdomSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jon Slate
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Kai Zeng
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
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43
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Blount JD, Vitikainen EIK, Stott I, Cant MA. Oxidative shielding and the cost of reproduction. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 91:483-97. [PMID: 25765468 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Life-history theory assumes that reproduction and lifespan are constrained by trade-offs which prevent their simultaneous increase. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the possibility that this cost of reproduction is mediated by oxidative stress. However, empirical tests of this theory have yielded equivocal support. We carried out a meta-analysis to examine associations between reproduction and oxidative damage across markers and tissues. We show that oxidative damage is positively associated with reproductive effort across females of various species. Yet paradoxically, categorical comparisons of breeders versus non-breeders reveal that transition to the reproductive state is associated with a step-change reduction in oxidative damage in certain tissues and markers. Developing offspring may be particularly sensitive to harm caused by oxidative damage in mothers. Therefore, such reductions could potentially function to shield reproducing mothers, gametes and developing offspring from oxidative insults that inevitably increase as a consequence of reproductive effort. According to this perspective, we hypothesise that the cost of reproduction is mediated by dual impacts of maternally-derived oxidative damage on mothers and offspring, and that mothers may be selected to diminish such damage. Such oxidative shielding may explain why many existing studies have concluded that reproduction has little or no oxidative cost. Future advance in life-history theory therefore needs to take account of potential transgenerational impacts of the mechanisms underlying life-history trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Blount
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, U.K
| | - Emma I K Vitikainen
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, U.K
| | - Iain Stott
- Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, U.K
| | - Michael A Cant
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, U.K
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44
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Abstract
A nongenetic, transgenerational effect of parental age on offspring fitness has been described in many taxa in the laboratory. Such a transgenerational fitness effect will have important influences on population dynamics, population age structure, and the evolution of aging and lifespan. However, effects of parental age on offspring lifetime fitness have never been demonstrated in a natural population. We show that parental age has sex-specific negative effects on lifetime fitness, using data from a pedigreed insular population of wild house sparrows. Birds whose parents were older produced fewer recruits annually than birds with younger parents, and the reduced number of recruits translated into a lifetime fitness difference. Using a long-term cross-fostering experiment, we demonstrate that this parental age effect is unlikely to be the result of changes in the environment but that it potentially is epigenetically inherited. Our study reveals the hidden consequences of late-life reproduction that persist into the next generation.
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45
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Drobniak SM, Dubiec A, Gustafsson L, Cichoń M. Maternal Age-Related Depletion of Offspring Genetic Variance in Immune Response to Phytohaemagglutinin in the Blue Tit ( Cyanistes caeruleus). Evol Biol 2015; 42:88-98. [PMID: 25705062 PMCID: PMC4328104 DOI: 10.1007/s11692-014-9301-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Studies examining age-specific patterns in genetic variance have focussed primarily on changes in the genetic variance within cohorts. It remains unclear whether parental age may affect the genetic variance among offspring. To date, such an effect has been reported only in a single study performed in a wild bird population. Here, we provide experimental evidence that the additive genetic variance (VA) observed among offspring may be related to parental age in a wild passerine-the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). To separate genetic and environmental components of phenotypic variance in nestling body size and immune function we cross-fostered nestlings between pairs of broods born to young and old mothers and used an animal model to estimate VA. We show that the genetic variance in immune response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and body weight among offspring depends on maternal age. VA in response to PHA appeared to be lower among nestlings of older mothers. Such a tendency was not observed for tarsus length. We argue that the lower VA may result either from depletion of additive genetic variation due to selection acting on parents across age classes or from environmental effects confounded with parental age. Thus, our study suggests that parental age may significantly affect estimates of quantitative genetic parameters in the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szymon M Drobniak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Dubiec
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lars Gustafsson
- Departament of Ecology and Genetics/Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mariusz Cichoń
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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46
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Roach DA, Carey JR. Population Biology of Aging in the Wild. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2014. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Empirical studies reveal aging occurs in wild populations. Consideration of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these findings is critical for many areas of research, including life-history evolution, sexual selection, behavior, and applied ecology. Variation in the patterns of age-dependent declines of phenotypic traits has been found both within and among individuals, and this raises future questions aimed at understanding what determines these trajectories across traits and across the tree of life. The presence of older, aging, individuals in populations can have transgenerational effects on offspring and can influence how individuals interact. In some species older individuals in populations can have positive impacts, influencing knowledge and leadership, postreproductive care, and population cycle stabilization. Aging and long life span also need to be recognized in an applied ecology context including management plans, vector-borne disease transmission, and ecotoxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A. Roach
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - James R. Carey
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California 95616 and Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
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47
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Barks PM, Laird RA. Senescence in duckweed: age‐related declines in survival, reproduction and offspring quality. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M. Barks
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Lethbridge Lethbridge AlbertaT1K 3M4 Canada
| | - Robert A. Laird
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Lethbridge Lethbridge AlbertaT1K 3M4 Canada
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48
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Zhang H, Rebke M, Becker PH, Bouwhuis S. Fitness prospects: effects of age, sex and recruitment age on reproductive value in a long-lived seabird. J Anim Ecol 2014; 84:199-207. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- He Zhang
- Institute of Avian Research ‘Vogelwarte Helgoland’; An der Vogelwarte 21 D-26386 Wilhelmshaven Germany
| | - Maren Rebke
- Avitec Research GbR; Sachsenring 11 D-27711 Osterholz-Scharmbeck Germany
| | - Peter H. Becker
- Institute of Avian Research ‘Vogelwarte Helgoland’; An der Vogelwarte 21 D-26386 Wilhelmshaven Germany
| | - Sandra Bouwhuis
- Institute of Avian Research ‘Vogelwarte Helgoland’; An der Vogelwarte 21 D-26386 Wilhelmshaven Germany
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49
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Hayward AD, Mar KU, Lahdenperä M, Lummaa V. Early reproductive investment, senescence and lifetime reproductive success in female Asian elephants. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:772-83. [PMID: 24580655 PMCID: PMC4237172 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Revised: 01/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary theory of senescence posits that as the probability of extrinsic mortality increases with age, selection should favour early-life over late-life reproduction. Studies on natural vertebrate populations show early reproduction may impair later-life performance, but the consequences for lifetime fitness have rarely been determined, and little is known of whether similar patterns apply to mammals which typically live for several decades. We used a longitudinal dataset on Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) to investigate associations between early-life reproduction and female age-specific survival, fecundity and offspring survival to independence, as well as lifetime breeding success (lifetime number of calves produced). Females showed low fecundity following sexual maturity, followed by a rapid increase to a peak at age 19 and a subsequent decline. High early life reproductive output (before the peak of performance) was positively associated with subsequent age-specific fecundity and offspring survival, but significantly impaired a female's own later-life survival. Despite the negative effects of early reproduction on late-life survival, early reproduction is under positive selection through a positive association with lifetime breeding success. Our results suggest a trade-off between early reproduction and later survival which is maintained by strong selection for high early fecundity, and thus support the prediction from life history theory that high investment in reproductive success in early life is favoured by selection through lifetime fitness despite costs to later-life survival. That maternal survival in elephants depends on previous reproductive investment also has implications for the success of (semi-)captive breeding programmes of this endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Hayward
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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50
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Dowling DK, Williams BR, Garcia-Gonzalez F. Maternal sexual interactions affect offspring survival and ageing. J Evol Biol 2013; 27:88-97. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2013] [Revised: 09/03/2013] [Accepted: 10/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. K. Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences; Monash University; Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - B. R. Williams
- School of Biological Sciences; Monash University; Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - F. Garcia-Gonzalez
- Doñana Biological Station; Spanish Research Council CSIC; Isla de la Cartuja Seville Spain
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology; School of Animal Biology; The University of Western Australia; Nedlands WA Australia
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