Maternal death and offspring fitness in multiple wild primates.

ABSTRACT: Primate offspring often depend on their mothers well beyond the age of weaning, and offspring that experience maternal death in early life can suffer substantial reductions in fitness across the life span. Here, we leverage data from eight wild primate populations (seven species) to examine two underappreciated pathways linking early maternal death and offspring fitness that are distinct from direct effects of orphaning on offspring survival. First, we show that, for five of the seven species, offspring face reduced survival during the years immediately preceding maternal death, while the mother is still alive. Second, we identify an intergenerational effect of early maternal loss in three species (muriquis, baboons, and blue monkeys), such that early maternal death experienced in one gene

SUBMITTER: Zipple MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7821045 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature