Abstract
BackgroundMost human demographic data, particularly those on natural fertility populations, find no relationship or even a positive association between fertility and longevity. The present study aims to ascertain whether there is a trade-off between fertility and longevity in the mouse model.MethodsThe study was focused on the first litter produced by 10- to 14-wk-old hybrid (C57BL/6JIco female X CBA/JIco male) mice. A single female/male per litter was individually housed with a male/female at the age of 25 and 52 wk, respectively, until the end of reproductive life in females or natural death in males under controlled housing conditions. Post-reproductive females and virgin mice were reared until natural death. Cox regression models with forward stepwise variable selection were fitted to examine the effect of several fertility variables on expectation of survival times.ResultsVirgin females displayed higher life expectancy than virgin males. The relative risk of dying for a virgin male at a particular age was 2.116 [99% confidence interval: 1.317, 3.398] times that of a virgin female. No significant differences on expectation of survival times between virgin and mated females, and between virgin and mated males were found. Furthermore, total number of pups at weaning and total number of litters produced by a dam/stud, time interval between mating and last litter, time interval between litters, and age at last litter were not significant predictors of expectation of survival times in both mated females and mated males.ConclusionsLike in most human studies, the present study evidences no relationship between total number of offspring/litters produced by a dam/stud and expectation of survival times. Moreover, the present data are in agreement with the general phenomenon of a bias in life expectancy in favor of females.
Highlights
Most human demographic data, those on natural fertility populations, find no relationship or even a positive association between fertility and longevity
On the contrary, mated mice were randomly selected among those virgin mice that were alive at the age of 25 or 52 wk, i.e., mated individuals were selected among those longlived virgin mice
Statistical analyses were performed taking into account separately each gender. In both mated females (n = 24) and mated males (n = 21), total number of pups at weaning and total number of litters produced by a dam/stud, time interval between mating and last litter, time interval between litters, and age at last litter were not significant predictors of expectation of survival times
Summary
Those on natural fertility populations, find no relationship or even a positive association between fertility and longevity. Trade-offs may occur at functional levels ranging from cellular, tissue and individual (physiological) to ecology (e.g., increased risks of predation when individuals engage in mating or parental activities, or foraging while acquiring energy and nutrients for the reproduction event) and population/evolutionary (genetic) (cited by Plumel et al [2]). Ricklefts and Cadena [8] analyzed 18 species of mammals and 12 species of birds housed in favorable-condition zoo environments. They found that under these favorable zoo conditions, number of offspring produced up to a given age and age at first reproduction did not affect lifespan of females. This study, was criticized by other authors who claimed that zoo data are not ideal to investigate lifehistory trade-offs because of sample size and data quality issues [9]
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