TY - JOUR
T1 - Age at reproductive debut
T2 - Developmental predictors and consequences for lactation, infant mass, and subsequent reproduction in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
AU - Pittet, Florent
AU - Johnson, Crystal
AU - Hinde, Katherine
N1 - Funding Information:
National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Number: BCS-0921978, BCS-0525025, and IOS-1456174 to K.H.; National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health, Grant/Award Number: R24RR019970 to John Capitanio and P51RR000169 to CNPRC; Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/OD at the National Institutes of Health, Grant/ Award Number: R24OD010962 to John Capitanio and P51OD011107 to CNPRC; Fyssen Foundation to F.P.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2017/11
Y1 - 2017/11
N2 - Objectives: The age at which females initiate their reproductive career is a critical life-history parameter with potential consequences on their residual reproductive value and lifetime fitness. The age at reproductive debut may be intimately tied to the somatic capacity of the mother to rear her young, but relatively little is known about the influence of age of first birth on milk synthesis within a broader framework of reproductive scheduling, infant outcomes, and other life-history tradeoffs. Material and Methods: Our study investigated the predictors of age at first reproduction among 108 captive rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) females, and associations with their milk synthesis at peak lactation, infant mass, and ability to subsequently conceive and reproduce. Results: The majority of females reproduced in their fourth year (typical breeders); far fewer initiated their reproductive career one year earlier or one year later (respectively early and late breeders). Early breeders (3-year-old) benefited from highly favorable early life development (better juvenile growth, high dominance rank) to accelerate reproduction, but were impaired in milk synthesis due to lower somatic resources and their own continued growth. Comparatively, late breeders suffered from poor developmental conditions, only partially compensated by their delayed reproduction, and evinced compromised milk synthesis. Typical breeders not only produced higher available milk energy but also had best reproductive performance during the breeding and birth seasons following primiparity. Discussion: Here, we refine and extend our understanding of how life-history tradeoffs manifest in the magnitude, sources, and consequences of variation in age of reproductive debut. These findings provide insight into primate reproductive flexibility in the context of constraints and opportunities.
AB - Objectives: The age at which females initiate their reproductive career is a critical life-history parameter with potential consequences on their residual reproductive value and lifetime fitness. The age at reproductive debut may be intimately tied to the somatic capacity of the mother to rear her young, but relatively little is known about the influence of age of first birth on milk synthesis within a broader framework of reproductive scheduling, infant outcomes, and other life-history tradeoffs. Material and Methods: Our study investigated the predictors of age at first reproduction among 108 captive rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) females, and associations with their milk synthesis at peak lactation, infant mass, and ability to subsequently conceive and reproduce. Results: The majority of females reproduced in their fourth year (typical breeders); far fewer initiated their reproductive career one year earlier or one year later (respectively early and late breeders). Early breeders (3-year-old) benefited from highly favorable early life development (better juvenile growth, high dominance rank) to accelerate reproduction, but were impaired in milk synthesis due to lower somatic resources and their own continued growth. Comparatively, late breeders suffered from poor developmental conditions, only partially compensated by their delayed reproduction, and evinced compromised milk synthesis. Typical breeders not only produced higher available milk energy but also had best reproductive performance during the breeding and birth seasons following primiparity. Discussion: Here, we refine and extend our understanding of how life-history tradeoffs manifest in the magnitude, sources, and consequences of variation in age of reproductive debut. These findings provide insight into primate reproductive flexibility in the context of constraints and opportunities.
KW - infant development
KW - inter-birth interval
KW - life-history tradeoffs
KW - maternal condition
KW - milk
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U2 - 10.1002/ajpa.23286
DO - 10.1002/ajpa.23286
M3 - Article
C2 - 28895116
AN - SCOPUS:85029218539
SN - 0002-9483
VL - 164
SP - 457
EP - 476
JO - American journal of physical anthropology
JF - American journal of physical anthropology
IS - 3
ER -