Early-life reproduction is associated with increased mortality risk but enhanced lifetime fitness in pre-industrial humans.

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 th

SUBMITTER: Hayward AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4375875 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature