1
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Sanghvi K, Pizzari T, Sepil I. What does not kill you makes you stronger? Effects of paternal age at conception on fathers and sons. Evolution 2024; 78:1619-1632. [PMID: 38912848 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Advancing male age is often hypothesized to reduce both male fertility and offspring quality due to reproductive senescence. However, the effects of advancing male age on reproductive output and offspring quality are not always deleterious. For example, older fathers might buffer the effects of reproductive senescence by terminally investing in reproduction. Similarly, males that survive to reproduce at an old age might carry alleles that confer high viability (viability selection), which are then inherited by offspring, or might have high reproductive potential (selective disappearance). Differentiating these mechanisms requires an integrated experimental study of paternal survival and reproductive performance, as well as offspring quality, which is currently lacking. Using a cross-sectional study in Drosophila melanogaster, we test the effects of paternal age at conception (PAC) on paternal survival and reproductive success, and on the lifespans of sons. We discover that mating at an old age is linked with decreased future male survival, suggesting that mating-induced mortality is possibly due to old fathers being frail. We find no evidence for terminal investment and show that reproductive senescence in fathers does not onset until their late-adult life. Additionally, we find that as a father's lifespan increases, his probability of siring offspring increases for older PAC treatments only. Lastly, we show that sons born to older fathers live longer than those born to younger fathers due to viability selection. Collectively, our results suggest that advancing paternal age is not necessarily associated with deleterious effects for offspring and may even lead to older fathers producing longer-lived offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krish Sanghvi
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Irem Sepil
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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2
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Zablocki-Thomas P, Rebout N, Karaskiewicz CL, Bales KL. Survival rates and mortality risks of Plecturocebus cupreus at the California National Primate Research Center. Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23531. [PMID: 37424137 PMCID: PMC10921862 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
This article describes survivorship and explores factors affecting mortality risks in a captive colony of coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) housed at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), at UC Davis, in Davis, CA. We analyzed data collected on individuals since the colony's creation in the 1960s, with a sample of 600 animals with partially complete information (date of birth, age at death, body mass, parental lineage). We used three methods: (1) Kaplan-Meier regressions followed by a log-rank test to compare survival in male and female titi monkeys, (2) a breakpoint analysis to identify shifts in the survival curves, and (3) Cox regressions to test the effect of body mass change, parental pair tenure, and parental age on mortality risk. We found that males tend to have a longer median lifespan than females (14.9 and 11.4 years; p = 0.094) and that survival decreases earlier in males than in females during adulthood (9.8 and 16.2 years). A body mass loss of 10% from adulthood to the time of death led to a 26% higher risk of dying (p < 0.001) as compared to an individual with stable body mass. We found no evidence of sociobiological factors on mortality risks (parental age, parental pair tenure), but an exploratory analysis suggested that a higher rate of offspring conceptions increases mortality risks. This description of factors influencing survival and mortality in titi monkeys is a first step toward understanding aging in this species to consider titi monkeys as a primate model for socioemotional aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chloe L. Karaskiewicz
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis CA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America
| | - Karen L. Bales
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis CA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, United States of America
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3
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Sepp T, Meitern R, Heidinger B, Noreikiene K, Rattiste K, Hõrak P, Saks L, Kittilson J, Urvik J, Giraudeau M. Parental age does not influence offspring telomeres during early life in common gulls (Larus canus). Mol Ecol 2022; 31:6197-6207. [PMID: 33772917 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Parental age can affect offspring telomere length through heritable and epigenetic-like effects, but at what stage during development these effects are established is not well known. To address this, we conducted a cross-fostering experiment in common gulls (Larus canus) that enabled us distinguish between pre- and post-natal parental age effects on offspring telomere length. Whole clutches were exchanged after clutch completion within and between parental age classes (young and old) and blood samples were collected from chicks at hatching and during the fastest growth phase (11 days later) to measure telomeres. Neither the ages of the natal nor the foster parents predicted the telomere length or the change in telomere lengths of their chicks. Telomere length (TL) was repeatable within chicks, but increased across development (repeatability = 0.55, intraclass correlation coefficient within sampling events 0.934). Telomere length and the change in telomere length were not predicted by post-natal growth rate. Taken together, these findings suggest that in common gulls, telomere length during early life is not influenced by parental age or growth rate, which may indicate that protective mechanisms buffer telomeres from external conditions during development in this relatively long-lived species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuul Sepp
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Richard Meitern
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Britt Heidinger
- Biological Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Kristina Noreikiene
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kalev Rattiste
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Peeter Hõrak
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Lauri Saks
- Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jeffrey Kittilson
- Biological Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Janek Urvik
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.,Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.,MIVEGEC, UMR IRD/CNRS/UM 5290, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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4
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Cope H, Ivimey-Cook ER, Moorad J. Triparental ageing in a laboratory population of an insect with maternal care. Behav Ecol 2022; 33:1123-1132. [PMID: 36518633 PMCID: PMC9735237 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Parental age at reproduction influences offspring size and survival by affecting prenatal and postnatal conditions in a wide variety of species, including humans. However, most investigations into this manifestation of ageing focus upon maternal age effects; the effects of paternal age and interactions between maternal and paternal age are often neglected. Furthermore, even when maternal age effects are studied, pre- and post-natal effects are often confounded. Using a cross-fostered experimental design, we investigated the joint effects of pre-natal paternal and maternal and post-natal maternal ages on five traits related to offspring outcomes in a laboratory population of a species of burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides. We found a significant positive effect of the age of the egg producer on larval survival to dispersal. We found more statistical evidence for interaction effects, which acted on larval survival and egg length. Both interaction effects were negative and involved the age of the egg-producer, indicating that age-related pre-natal maternal improvements were mitigated by increasing age in fathers and foster mothers. These results agree with an early study that found little evidence for maternal senescence, but it emphasizes that parental age interactions may be an important contributor to ageing patterns. We discuss how the peculiar life history of this species may promote selection to resist the evolution of parental age effects, and how this might have influenced our ability to detect senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary Cope
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Edward R Ivimey-Cook
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jacob Moorad
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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5
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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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6
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Trujillo N, Martínez-Pacheco M, Soldatini C, Ancona S, Young RC, Albores-Barajas YV, Orta AH, Rodríguez C, Székely T, Drummond H, Urrutia AO, Cortez D. Lack of age-related mosaic loss of W chromosome in long-lived birds. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210553. [PMID: 35193370 PMCID: PMC8864339 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Females and males often exhibit different survival in nature, and it has been hypothesized that sex chromosomes may play a role in driving differential survival rates. For instance, the Y chromosome in mammals and the W chromosome in birds are often degenerated, with reduced numbers of genes, and loss of the Y chromosome in old men is associated with shorter life expectancy. However, mosaic loss of sex chromosomes has not been investigated in any non-human species. Here, we tested whether mosaic loss of the W chromosome (LOW) occurs with ageing in wild birds as a natural consequence of cellular senescence. Using loci-specific PCR and a target sequencing approach we estimated LOW in both young and adult individuals of two long-lived bird species and showed that the copy number of W chromosomes remains constant across age groups. Our results suggest that LOW is not a consequence of cellular ageing in birds. We concluded that the inheritance of the W chromosome in birds, unlike the Y chromosome in mammals, is more stable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Trujillo
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, UNAM, CP62210, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Mónica Martínez-Pacheco
- Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, CP76010, Querétaro, México
| | - Cecilia Soldatini
- Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada - Unidad La Paz, Calle Miraflores 334, CP23050, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
| | - Sergio Ancona
- Instituto de Ecología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, CP04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Rebecca C Young
- Instituto de Ecología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, CP04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Yuri V Albores-Barajas
- CONACYT. Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Av. Insurgentes Sur 1582, Col. Crédito Constructor. Alcaldía Benito Juárez, CP03940, Ciudad de México, México.,Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur., Km. 5.5 Carr. 1. La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
| | - Alberto H Orta
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, UNAM, CP62210, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Cristina Rodríguez
- Instituto de Ecología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, CP04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Tamas Székely
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.,Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen H-4032, Hungary
| | - Hugh Drummond
- Instituto de Ecología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, CP04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Araxi O Urrutia
- Instituto de Ecología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, CP04510, Ciudad de México, México.,Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Diego Cortez
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, UNAM, CP62210, Cuernavaca, México
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7
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Segami JC, Lind MI, Qvarnström A. Should females prefer old males? Evol Lett 2021; 5:507-520. [PMID: 34621537 PMCID: PMC8484724 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.250] [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] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether females should prefer to mate with old males is controversial. Old males may sire offspring of low quality because of an aging germline, but their proven ability to reach an old age can also be an excellent indicator of superior genetic quality, especially in natural populations. These genetic effects are, however, hard to study in nature, because they are often confounded with direct benefits offered by old males to the female, such as experience and high territory quality. We, therefore, used naturally occurring extra‐pair young to disentangle different aspects of male age on female fitness in a natural population of collared flycatchers because any difference between within‐ and extra‐pair young within a nest should be caused by paternal genetic effects only. Based on 18 years of long‐term data, we found that females paired with older males as social partners experienced an overall reproductive advantage. However, offspring sired by old males were of lower quality as compared to their extra‐pair half‐siblings, whereas the opposite was found in nests attended by young males. These results imply a negative genetic effect of old paternal age, given that extra‐pair males are competitive middle‐age males. Thus, offspring may benefit from being sired by young males but raised by old males, to maximize both genetic and direct effects. Our results show that direct and genetic benefits from pairing with old males may act in opposing directions and that the quality of the germline may deteriorate before other signs of senescence become obvious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Carolina Segami
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology Uppsala University Uppsala SE-75236 Sweden
| | - Martin I Lind
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology Uppsala University Uppsala SE-75236 Sweden
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology Uppsala University Uppsala SE-75236 Sweden
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8
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Snekser JL, Itzkowitz M. Convict cichlid parents that stay with the same mate develop unique and consistent divisions of roles. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10534. [PMID: 33362975 PMCID: PMC7745672 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies, largely on avian species, have suggested that pairs that are permanently monogamous and have biparental care develop a coordination over time that enhances offspring survival. If this is the case, we predicted that a parent involved in biparental care would develop a pattern of biparental care specific to a particular mate and remain consistent in that pattern over time but would lose this pattern if it were to change mates. We tested this prediction with the convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) which has biparental care that is both complex and flexible. In this species, each parent can perform all parental roles but typically shows a division of labor in which males typically defend against offspring predators while the female typically provides direct care to the offspring. At various times, the parents briefly switch roles. Our experiments revealed that pairs that remained together for two consecutive broods were more consistent in their parental behaviors, including time they spent near the intruder and in the nest compared to pairs that were comprised of individuals that had previously mated with other partners. Also individuals that remained with the same partner were also more consistent as a parental unit, maintaining their sex-specific roles of males defending aggressively against an intruder and females spending more time directly caring for young. While our experiment clearly support our prediction that individuals do develop unique coordination with specific individuals, convict cichlids in nature appear to be largely serially monogamous in which they mate only once before changing partners. Thus, it is likely this coordination may be available in many species that have biparental care but become adaptive when repeated matings become common.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Snekser
- Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, United States of America
| | - Murray Itzkowitz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh Univervsity, Bethlehem, PA, United States of America
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9
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Sparks AM, Hayward AD, Watt K, Pilkington JG, Pemberton JM, Johnston SE, McNeilly TN, Nussey DH. Maternally derived anti-helminth antibodies predict offspring survival in a wild mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201931. [PMID: 33234082 PMCID: PMC7739501 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The transfer of antibodies from mother to offspring provides crucial protection against infection to offspring during early life in humans and domestic and laboratory animals. However, few studies have tested the consequences of variation in maternal antibody transfer for offspring fitness in the wild. Further, separating the immunoprotective effects of antibodies from their association with nutritional resources provided by mothers is difficult. Here, we measured plasma levels of total and parasite-specific antibodies in neonatal (less than 10 days old) wild Soay sheep over 25 years to quantify variation in maternal antibody transfer and test its association with offspring survival. Maternal antibody transfer was predicted by maternal age and previous antibody responses, and was consistent within mothers across years. Neonatal total IgG antibody levels were positively related to early growth, suggesting they reflected nutritional transfer. Neonatal parasite-specific IgG levels positively predicted first-year survival, independent of lamb weight, total IgG levels and subsequent lamb parasite-specific antibody levels. This relationship was partly mediated via an indirect negative association with parasite burden. We show that among-female variation in maternal antibody transfer can have long-term effects on offspring growth, parasite burden and fitness in the wild, and is likely to impact naturally occurring host–parasite dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Sparks
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.,Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.,Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Adam D Hayward
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Kathryn Watt
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Jill G Pilkington
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Josephine M Pemberton
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Susan E Johnston
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Tom N McNeilly
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.,Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
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10
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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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11
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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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12
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McLean EM, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Lifetime Fitness in Wild Female Baboons: Trade-Offs and Individual Heterogeneity in Quality. Am Nat 2019; 194:745-759. [PMID: 31738100 DOI: 10.1086/705810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of life histories requires information on how life histories vary among individuals and how such variation predicts individual fitness. Using complete life histories for females in a well-studied population of wild baboons, we tested two nonexclusive hypotheses about the relationships among survival, reproduction, and fitness: the quality hypothesis, which predicts positive correlations between life-history traits, mediated by variation in resource acquisition, and the trade-off hypothesis, which predicts negative correlations between life-history traits, mediated by trade-offs in resource allocation. In support of the quality hypothesis, we found that females with higher rates of offspring survival were themselves better at surviving. Further, after statistically controlling for variation in female quality, we found evidence for two types of trade-offs: females who produced surviving offspring at a slower rate had longer life spans than those who produced surviving offspring at a faster rate, and females who produced surviving offspring at a slower rate had a higher overall proportion of offspring survive infancy than females who produced surviving offspring at a faster rate. Importantly, these trade-offs were evident even when accounting for (i) the influence of offspring survival on maternal birth rate, (ii) the dependence of offspring survival on maternal survival, and (iii) potential age-related changes in birth rate and/or offspring survival. Our results shed light on why trade-offs are evident in some populations while variation in individual quality masks trade-offs in others.
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13
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Tollington S, Ewen JG, Newton J, McGill RAR, Smith D, Henshaw A, Fogell DJ, Tatayah V, Greenwood A, Jones CG, Groombridge JJ. Individual consumption of supplemental food as a predictor of reproductive performance and viral infection intensity. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Tollington
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and EcologySchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of Kent Canterbury UK
- North of England Zoological Society Chester UK
| | - John G. Ewen
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of London London UK
| | - Jason Newton
- NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry FacilitySUERC East Kilbride UK
| | | | - Donal Smith
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of London London UK
- School of Environment and Life SciencesUniversity of Salford Salford UK
| | | | - Deborah J. Fogell
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and EcologySchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of Kent Canterbury UK
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of London London UK
| | | | | | - Carl G. Jones
- School of Environment and Life SciencesUniversity of Salford Salford UK
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Jersey UK
| | - Jim J. Groombridge
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and EcologySchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of Kent Canterbury UK
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14
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López-Arrabé J, Monaghan P, Cantarero A, Boner W, Pérez-Rodríguez L, Moreno J. Sex-Specific Associations between Telomere Dynamics and Oxidative Status in Adult and Nestling Pied Flycatchers. Physiol Biochem Zool 2018; 91:868-877. [PMID: 29547348 DOI: 10.1086/697294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Oxidative stress can contribute to an acceleration of telomere erosion, leading to cellular senescence and aging. Increased investment in reproduction is known to accelerate senescence, generally resulting in reduced future reproductive potential and survival. To better understand the role played by oxidative status and telomere dynamics in the conflict between maintenance and reproduction, it is important to determine how these factors are related in parents and their offspring. We investigated the relationship between oxidative status and telomere measurements in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Total antioxidant status (TAS) in plasma, total levels of glutathione in red blood cells (RBCs), and oxidative damage in plasma lipids (malondialdehyde [MDA]) were assessed in both parents and nestlings. Telomeres were measured in RBCs in adults. Our results showed sex differences in oxidative variables in adults that are likely to be mediated by sex steroids, with testosterone and estrogens increasing and reducing, respectively, the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. We found a negative association between telomere length (TL) and MDA in adults in the previous season. Moreover, TL was positively associated with TAS in females, while telomere shortening (ΔTL) correlated positively with MDA in males in the current year. These associations could be reflecting differences between sexes in reproductive physiology. We found a positive correlation between parental ΔTL and nestling MDA, an example of how parental physiological aging could affect offspring quality in terms of oxidative stress that highlights the constraints imposed by higher rates of ΔTL during reproduction and rearing.
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15
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Ivimey-Cook E, Moorad J. Disentangling Pre- and Postnatal Maternal Age Effects on Offspring Performance in an Insect with Elaborate Maternal Care. Am Nat 2018; 192:564-576. [PMID: 30332586 DOI: 10.1086/699654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effect senescence has attracted much recent scientific interest. However, the age-related effects of pre- and postnatal maternal age are often conflated, as these naturally originate from the same individual. Additionally, many maternal effect senescence studies fail to account for potential biases associated with selective disappearance. Here we use a cross-fostered laboratory population of a burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides, to examine both the effects of female pre- and postnatal maternal age on offspring life-history traits and the postcare outcomes of mothers while accounting for selective disappearance of postnatal caregivers. Neither pre- nor postnatal maternal age affected offspring longevity or larval weight at hatching, and postnatal age had no effect on postcare maternal outcomes except to confirm the presence of actuarial senescence. There was weak evidence for concave relationships between two larval traits (dispersal weight and survival) and the age of egg producers. Selective disappearance of caregivers had no clear effect on any of the measured offspring traits. Contrary to predictions from evolutionary theory, maternal effect senescence and reproductive effort increases do not always manifest, and current theory may be insufficient to account for the true diversity of aging patterns relating to maternal care.
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16
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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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17
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Noguera JC, Metcalfe NB, Monaghan P. Experimental demonstration that offspring fathered by old males have shorter telomeres and reduced lifespans. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180268. [PMID: 29540524 PMCID: PMC5879639 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring of older parents frequently show reduced longevity, but the mechanisms driving this so-called 'Lansing effect' are unknown. While inheritance of short telomeres from older parents could underlie this effect, studies to date in different species have found mixed results, reporting positive, negative or no association between parental age and offspring telomere length (TL). However, most of the existing evidence is from non-experimental studies in which it is difficult to exclude alternative explanations such as differential survival of parents with different telomere lengths. Here we provide evidence in the zebra finch that offspring from older parents have reduced lifespans. As a first step in disentangling possible causes, we used an experimental approach to examine whether or not we could detect pre-natal paternal effects on offspring TL. We found that zebra finch embryos fathered by old males have shorter telomeres than those produced by the same mothers but with younger fathers. Since variation in embryonic TL persists into post-natal life, and early life TL is predictive of longevity in this species, this experimental study demonstrates that a paternally driven pre-natal TL reduction could at least in part underlie the reduced lifespan of offspring from older parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- José C Noguera
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Grupo de Ecología Animal, Universidad de Vigo, Torre CACTI, Galicia, Vigo 36310, Spain
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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18
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Api M, Biondi P, Olivotto I, Terzibasi E, Cellerino A, Carnevali O. Effects of Parental Aging During Embryo Development and Adult Life: The Case of Nothobranchius furzeri. Zebrafish 2018; 15:112-123. [PMID: 29304310 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2017.1494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on parental aging are a very attractive field, although it is poorly understood how parental age affects embryonic development and adult traits of the offspring. In this study, we used the turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri, as is the vertebrate with shortest captive lifespan and an interesting model. The embryos of N. furzeri can follow two distinct developmental pathways either entering diapause or proceeding through direct development. Thus, this embryonic plasticity allows this model to be used to study different factors that could affect their embryonic development, including parental age. The first goal of the present study was to investigate whether parental aging could affect the embryo development. To do this, we collected F1 embryos from two breeder groups (old parents and young parents). We monitored the duration of embryonic development and analyzed genes involved in dorsalization process. The second goal was to investigate if embryonic developmental plasticity could be modulated by an epigenetic process. To this end, the expression of DNMTs genes was examined. Our data support the hypothesis that diapause, occurring more frequently in embryos from old parents, is associated with increased expression of DNMT3A and DNMT3B suggesting an epigenetic control. Finally, we analyzed whether parental age could affect metabolism and growth during adult life. Morphometric results and qPCR analysis of genes from IGF system showed a slower growth in adults from old breeders. Moreover, a gender-specificity effect on growth emerged. In conclusion, these results may contribute to the better understanding of the complex mechanism of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Api
- 1 Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche , Ancona, Italy
| | - Piera Biondi
- 1 Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche , Ancona, Italy
| | - Ike Olivotto
- 1 Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche , Ancona, Italy
| | | | | | - Oliana Carnevali
- 1 Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche , Ancona, Italy
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19
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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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20
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Vedder O, Bouwhuis S. Heterogeneity in individual quality in birds: overall patterns and insights from a study on common terns. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Vedder
- Inst. of Avian Research ‘Vogelwarte Helgoland’, An der Vogelwarte 21, DE-26386; Wilhelmshaven Germany
- Groningen Inst. for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Univ. of Groningen, PO Box 11103; NL-9700 CC Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Sandra Bouwhuis
- Groningen Inst. for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Univ. of Groningen, PO Box 11103; NL-9700 CC Groningen the Netherlands
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21
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Gavrus-Ion A, Sjøvold T, Hernández M, González-José R, Esteban Torné ME, Martínez-Abadías N, Esparza M. Measuring fitness heritability: Life history traits versus morphological traits in humans. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alina Gavrus-Ion
- Section of Zoology and Biological Anthropology; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | | | - Miguel Hernández
- Section of Zoology and Biological Anthropology; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | - Rolando González-José
- Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Centro Nacional Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Puerto Madryn Argentina
| | - María Esther Esteban Torné
- Section of Zoology and Biological Anthropology; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | - Neus Martínez-Abadías
- Section of Zoology and Biological Anthropology; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG); Barcelona Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Barcelona Spain
| | - Mireia Esparza
- Section of Zoology and Biological Anthropology; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
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22
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Lemaître JF, Gaillard JM. Reproductive senescence: new perspectives in the wild. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 92:2182-2199. [PMID: 28374548 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
According to recent empirical studies, reproductive senescence, the decline in reproductive success with increasing age, seems to be nearly ubiquitous in the wild. However, a clear understanding of the evolutionary causes and consequences of reproductive senescence is still lacking and requires new and integrative approaches. After identifying the sequential and complex nature of female reproductive senescence, we show that the relative contributions of physiological decline and alterations in the efficiency of parental care to reproductive senescence remain unknown and need to be assessed in the light of current evolutionary theories of ageing. We demonstrate that, although reproductive senescence is generally studied only from the female viewpoint, age-specific female reproductive success strongly depends on male-female interactions. Thus, a reduction in male fertilization efficiency with increasing age has detrimental consequences for female fitness. Lastly, we call for investigations of the role of environmental conditions on reproductive senescence, which could provide salient insights into the underlying sex-specific mechanisms of reproductive success. We suggest that embracing such directions should allow building new bridges between reproductive senescence and the study of sperm competition, parental care, mate choice and environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Lemaître
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1; CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive UMR5558, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1; CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive UMR5558, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
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23
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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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24
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Simons MJP, Briga M, Verhulst S. Stabilizing survival selection on presenescent expression of a sexual ornament followed by a terminal decline. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:1368-78. [PMID: 27061923 PMCID: PMC4957616 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 03/02/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Senescence is a decrease in functional capacity, increasing mortality rate with age. Sexual signals indicate functional capacity, because costs of ornamentation ensure signal honesty, and are therefore expected to senesce, tracking physiological deterioration and mortality. For sexual traits, mixed associations with age and positive associations with life expectancy have been reported. However, whether these associations are caused by selective disappearance and/or within-individual senescence of sexual signals, respectively, is not known. We previously reported that zebra finches with redder bills had greater life expectancy, based on a single bill colour measurement per individual. We here extend this analysis using longitudinal data and show that this finding is attributable to terminal declines in bill redness in the year before death, with no detectable change in presenescent redness. Additionally, there was a quadratic relationship between presenescent bill colouration and survival: individuals with intermediate bill redness have maximum survival prospects. This may reflect that redder individuals overinvest in colouration and/or associated physiological changes, while below-average bill redness probably reflects poorer phenotypic quality. Together, this pattern suggests that bill colouration is defended against physiological deterioration, because of mate attraction benefits, or that physiological deterioration is not a gradual process, but accelerates sharply prior to death. We discuss these possibilities in the context of the reliability theory of ageing and sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J P Simons
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - M Briga
- Behavioural Biology, Centre for Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - S Verhulst
- Behavioural Biology, Centre for Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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25
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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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26
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Hayward AD, Nenko I, Lummaa V. Early-life reproduction is associated with increased mortality risk but enhanced lifetime fitness in pre-industrial humans. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20143053. [PMID: 25740893 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.3053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The physiology of reproductive senescence in women is well understood, but the drivers of variation in senescence rates are less so. Evolutionary theory predicts that early-life investment in reproduction should be favoured by selection at the cost of reduced survival and faster reproductive senescence. We tested this hypothesis using data collected from preindustrial Finnish church records. Reproductive success increased up to age 25 and was relatively stable until a decline from age 41. Women with higher early-life fecundity (ELF; producing more children before age 25) subsequently had higher mortality risk, but high ELF was not associated with accelerated senescence in annual breeding success. However, women with higher ELF experienced faster senescence in offspring survival. Despite these apparent costs, ELF was under positive selection: individuals with higher ELF had higher lifetime reproductive success. These results are consistent with previous observations in both humans and wild vertebrates that more births and earlier onset of reproduction are associated with reduced survival, and with evolutionary theory predicting trade-offs between early reproduction and later-life survival. The results are particularly significant given recent increases in maternal ages in many societies and the potential consequences for offspring health and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D Hayward
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ilona Nenko
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Virpi Lummaa
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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27
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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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28
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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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29
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Preston BT, Saint Jalme M, Hingrat Y, Lacroix F, Sorci G. The sperm of aging male bustards retards their offspring's development. Nat Commun 2015; 6:6146. [PMID: 25647605 PMCID: PMC4338826 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding whether the sperm of older males has a diminished capacity to produce successful offspring is a key challenge in evolutionary biology. We investigate this issue using 10 years of reproductive data on captive long-lived houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata), where the use of artificial insemination techniques means parents can only influence offspring quality via their gametes. Here we show that paternal aging reduces both the likelihood that eggs hatch and the rate at which chicks grow, with older males producing the lightest offspring after the first month. Surprisingly, this cost of paternal aging on offspring development is of a similar scale to that associated with maternal aging. Fitting with predictions on germline aging, the sperm of immature males produce the fastest growing offspring. Our findings thus indicate that any good genes benefit that might be offered by older 'proven' males will be eroded by aging of their germline DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian T Preston
- UMR CNRS/uB 6282 Biogeosciences, Universite de Bourgogne, 6 bd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Michel Saint Jalme
- UMR 7204 CERSP, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Yves Hingrat
- RENECO Wildlife Preservation, PO Box 61741, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Frederic Lacroix
- RENECO Wildlife Preservation, PO Box 61741, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gabriele Sorci
- UMR CNRS/uB 6282 Biogeosciences, Universite de Bourgogne, 6 bd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
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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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31
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Kiere LM, Drummond H. Extrapair behaviour reveals flexible female choosiness and mixed support for classic good genes in blue-footed boobies. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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32
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Ramos AG, Nunziata SO, Lance SL, Rodríguez C, Faircloth BC, Gowaty PA, Drummond H. Interactive effects of male and female age on extra-pair paternity in a socially monogamous seabird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1769-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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33
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Velando A, Beamonte-Barrientos R, Torres R. Enhanced male coloration after immune challenge increases reproductive potential. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:1582-9. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Velando
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal; Universidade de Vigo; Vigo Spain
| | - R. Beamonte-Barrientos
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Instituto de Ecología; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México DF México
| | - R. Torres
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Instituto de Ecología; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México DF México
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34
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Age-dependent effects of carotenoids on sexual ornaments and reproductive performance of a long-lived seabird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1628-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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35
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Drummond H, Rodríguez C. Costs of growing up as a subordinate sibling are passed to the next generation in blue-footed boobies. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:625-34. [PMID: 23305448 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2012] [Revised: 11/02/2012] [Accepted: 11/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
As stresses in early development may generate costs in adult life, sibling competition and conflict in infancy are expected to diminish the reproductive value of surviving low-status members of broods and litters. We analysed delayed costs to blue-footed booby fledglings, Sula nebouxii, of junior status in the brood, which involves aggressive subordination, food deprivation and elevated corticosterone, but little or no deficit in size at fledging. In ten cohorts observed for up to 16 years, juniors showed no deficit in breeding success at any age, independent of lifespan, including in a sample of sibling pairs. Among females, juniors actually outreproduced seniors across the 16-year span. However, offspring produced by juniors in the first 3 years of life were less likely to recruit into the breeding population than offspring of seniors. Since junior fledglings survive, recruit and compete as well as seniors (shown earlier), and breed as successfully as seniors across the lifespan, it appears the delayed cost of subordination is passed to offspring, and only to those few offspring produced in the first 3 years of life. These correlational results indicate that systematic competition-related differences in developmental conditions of infant siblings can alter their reproductive value by affecting the viability of their eventual offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Drummond
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico.
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36
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Nussey DH, Froy H, Lemaitre JF, Gaillard JM, Austad SN. Senescence in natural populations of animals: widespread evidence and its implications for bio-gerontology. Ageing Res Rev 2013; 12:214-25. [PMID: 22884974 PMCID: PMC4246505 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2012.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 404] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/30/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
That senescence is rarely, if ever, observed in natural populations is an oft-quoted fallacy within bio-gerontology. We identify the roots of this fallacy in the otherwise seminal works of Medawar and Comfort, and explain that under antagonistic pleiotropy or disposable soma explanations for the evolution of senescence there is no reason why senescence cannot evolve to be manifest within the life expectancies of wild organisms. The recent emergence of long-term field studies presents irrefutable evidence that senescence is commonly detected in nature. We found such evidence in 175 different animal species from 340 separate studies. Although the bulk of this evidence comes from birds and mammals, we also found evidence for senescence in other vertebrates and insects. We describe how high-quality longitudinal field data allow us to test evolutionary explanations for differences in senescence between the sexes and among traits and individuals. Recent studies indicate that genes, prior environment and investment in growth and reproduction influence aging rates in the wild. We argue that - with the fallacy that wild animals do not senesce finally dead and buried - collaborations between bio-gerontologists and field biologists can begin to test the ecological generality of purportedly 'public' mechanisms regulating aging in laboratory models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK.
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Hammers M, Richardson DS, Burke T, Komdeur J. Age-dependent terminal declines in reproductive output in a wild bird. PLoS One 2012; 7:e40413. [PMID: 22792307 PMCID: PMC3391264 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 06/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In many iteroparous species individual fitness components, such as reproductive output, first increase with age and then decline during late-life. However, individuals differ greatly in reproductive lifespan, but reproductive declines may only occur in the period just before their death as a result of an age-independent decline in physiological condition. To fully understand reproductive senescence it is important to investigate to what extent declines in late-life reproduction can be explained by age, time until death, or both. However, the study of late-life fitness performance in natural populations is challenging as the exact birth and death dates of individuals are often not known, and most individuals succumb to extrinsic mortality before reaching old age. Here, we used an exceptional long-term longitudinal dataset of individuals from a natural, closed, and predator-free population of the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis) to investigate reproductive output, both in relation to age and to the time until the death of an individual (reverse-age approach). We observed an initial age-dependent increase in reproductive output that was followed by a decline in old age. However, we found no significant decline in reproductive output in the years directly preceding death. Although post-peak reproductive output declined with age, this pattern differed between terminal and non-terminal reproductive attempts, and the age-dependence of the terminal breeding attempt explained much of the variation in age-specific reproductive output. In fact, terminal declines in reproductive output were steeper in very old individuals. These results indicate that not only age-dependent, but also age-independent factors, such as physiological condition, need to be considered to understand reproductive senescence in wild-living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn Hammers
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-organization, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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38
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Johnson SL, Gemmell NJ. Are old males still good males and can females tell the difference? Do hidden advantages of mating with old males off-set costs related to fertility, or are we missing something else? Bioessays 2012; 34:609-19. [PMID: 22581618 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201100157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Sperm function generally declines with male age. Paradoxically, females of many species still choose to mate with old males rather than young males. Females choosing old mates may suffer reduced fertilization rates and an increased incidence of birth defects in offspring, lowering fitness which may in turn lead to conflict between the sexes. This apparent paradox has generated much interest from theorists, but whether this paradox presents in nature remains equivocal. Empirical studies have found mixed support for both a decline in fertility with male age and age-based female mate preference. Here, we examine recent evidence for this paradox, identify confounding variables, highlight areas that deserve further investigation, and suggest avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheri L Johnson
- Centre for Reproduction and Genomics, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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