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Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Alberts, SC; Altmann, J; Brockman, DK; Cords, M; Fedigan, LM; Pusey, A; Stoinski, TS; Strier, KB; Morris, WF; Bronikowski, AM
Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
August 2013

Women rarely give birth after ∼45 y of age, and they experience the cessation of reproductive cycles, menopause, at ∼50 y of age after a fertility decline lasting almost two decades. Such reproductive senescence in mid-lifespan is an evolutionary puzzle of enduring interest because it should be inherently disadvantageous. Furthermore, comparative data on reproductive senescence from other primates, or indeed other mammals, remains relatively rare. Here we carried out a unique detailed comparative study of reproductive senescence in seven species of nonhuman primates in natural populations, using long-term, individual-based data, and compared them to a population of humans experiencing natural fertility and mortality. In four of seven primate species we found that reproductive senescence occurred before death only in a small minority of individuals. In three primate species we found evidence of reproductive senescence that accelerated throughout adulthood; however, its initial rate was much lower than mortality, so that relatively few individuals experienced reproductive senescence before death. In contrast, the human population showed the predicted and well-known pattern in which reproductive senescence occurred before death for many women and its rate accelerated throughout adulthood. These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that reproductive senescence in midlife, although apparent in natural-fertility, natural-mortality populations of humans, is generally absent in other primates living in such populations.

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Published In

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI

EISSN

1091-6490

ISSN

0027-8424

Publication Date

August 2013

Volume

110

Issue

33

Start / End Page

13440 / 13445

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Reproduction
  • Primates
  • Pregnancy
  • Models, Biological
  • Longevity
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Biological Evolution
  • Animals
 

Citation

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Alberts, S. C., Altmann, J., Brockman, D. K., Cords, M., Fedigan, L. M., Pusey, A., … Bronikowski, A. M. (2013). Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(33), 13440–13445. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1311857110
Alberts, Susan C., Jeanne Altmann, Diane K. Brockman, Marina Cords, Linda M. Fedigan, Anne Pusey, Tara S. Stoinski, Karen B. Strier, William F. Morris, and Anne M. Bronikowski. “Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110, no. 33 (August 2013): 13440–45. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1311857110.
Alberts SC, Altmann J, Brockman DK, Cords M, Fedigan LM, Pusey A, et al. Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2013 Aug;110(33):13440–5.
Alberts, Susan C., et al. “Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 110, no. 33, Aug. 2013, pp. 13440–45. Epmc, doi:10.1073/pnas.1311857110.
Alberts SC, Altmann J, Brockman DK, Cords M, Fedigan LM, Pusey A, Stoinski TS, Strier KB, Morris WF, Bronikowski AM. Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2013 Aug;110(33):13440–13445.
Journal cover image

Published In

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI

EISSN

1091-6490

ISSN

0027-8424

Publication Date

August 2013

Volume

110

Issue

33

Start / End Page

13440 / 13445

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Reproduction
  • Primates
  • Pregnancy
  • Models, Biological
  • Longevity
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Biological Evolution
  • Animals