Senescence impacts reproduction and maternal investment in bottlenose dolphins.

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 popu

SUBMITTER: Karniski C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6083244 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature