Untangling the oxidative cost of reproduction: An analysis in wild banded mongooses.

ABSTRACT: The cost of reproduction plays a central role in evolutionary theory, but the identity of the underlying mechanisms remains a puzzle. Oxidative stress has been hypothesized to be a proximate mechanism that may explain the cost of reproduction. We examine three pathways by which oxidative stress could shape reproduction. The "oxidative cost" hypothesis proposes that reproductive effort generates oxidative stress, while the "oxidative constraint" and "oxidative shielding" hypotheses suggest that mothers mitigate such costs through reducing reproductive effort or by pre-emptively decreasing damage levels, respectively. We tested these three mechanisms using data from a long-term food provisioning experiment on wild female banded mongooses (Mungos mungo). Our results show that maternal

SUBMITTER: Meniri M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8928901 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature