Parental hormones are associated with crop loss and family sickness following catastrophic flooding in lowland Bolivia

Abstract

The physiology of fatherhood is a growing field of study, and variability in hormonal mediators of reproductive effort (e.g. testosterone, cortisol) can predict variability in paternal investment. Studies often find that lower testosterone levels are associated with increased paternal investment, though most studies are conducted under relatively stable ecological conditions. In this paper, we examine parental physiological correlates of crop loss and family health problems among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists following a catastrophic flood in lowland Bolivia. Immediately after a devastating 2014 flood that impacted >75% of Tsimane communities, we conducted structured interviews examining crop losses and morbidity, and collected saliva specimens from 421 parents (n = 292 households) to analyze cortisol and testosterone. Over 98% of interviewees reported horticultural losses, with the average family losing 88% of their crops, while 80% of families reported flood-induced injuries or illnesses. Controlling for age, body mass index, and time of specimen collection, men's testosterone was negatively associated with both absolute cropland losses (Std. β = -0.16, p = 0.037), and percent of cropland lost (Std. β = -0.16, p = 0.040). Female testosterone was not associated with crop losses. Using the same control variables, both male and female cortisol was negatively associated with a composite measure of child health burden (fathers: Std. β = -0.34, p < 0.001; mothers: Std. β = -0.23, p = 0.037). These results are discussed in the cultural context of a strong sexual division of labor among Tsimane; we highlight the physiological and psychosocial costs of experiencing a natural disaster, especially for paternal caregivers in a nutritionally and pathogenically stressed subsistence population where cultigens provide the majority of calories in the diet.

Exploring the links between early life and young adulthood social experiences and men's later life psychobiology as fathers

“…In contrast, fathers' T was comparable to that of non-fathers in a polygynous society in which there is minimal direct paternal care [41]. Accordingly, it is widely assumed that men's familial and social behaviors and experiences influence these patterns, contributing to population-level differences between groups as well as local, within-group variation in the psychobiology and neurobiology of fatherhood [23,26,58,64,65]. As noted above, there is evidence to support this proposition.…”

Sharing and caring: Testosterone, fathering, and generosity among BaYaka foragers of the Congo Basin

“…A major goal of these analyses was to test for relationships between T and locally-defined measures of fathering quality in a small, egalitarian society. There has been limited past research on the biology of fatherhood in forager societies in which men are often committed to caring for their immediate families but are also contributors to the broader community’s pooled resources and shared engagement in collective caregiving 36 , 38 , 39 , 52 . We found that BaYaka fathers who were seen as better community sharers and those in less conflicted marriages, respectively, had lower T than their peers.…”

“…In particular, societies that still subsist (in part) via foraging often have norms of egalitarianism and cooperation that involve pooling of both time and energetic resources to help raise children 26,[30][31][32] . While fathering and men's contribution of resources to families and communities have been studied in a number of these societies [30][31][32][33][34][35] , relatively little is known about how men's T relates to their roles as fathers in this type of hypercooperative, egalitarian setting [36][37][38][39] .…”

Relationship of sanitation, water boiling, and mosquito nets to health biomarkers in a rural subsistence population

“…Our sample is a cross section of households across 46 communities, based on THLHP data collection between January 2013 and November 2014. This time period was selected as it was all biomarker and public health data that were collected before a major flood, which significantly impacted Tsimane health and wellbeing for several years (Rosinger, ; Trumble et al, ). One head of each household (n = 507, aged 18‐92, median age 40 years) was interviewed in their home by trained Tsimane researchers on household water source, use of mosquito nets for sleeping, sanitation habits, and latrine use as a part of a larger study focused on aging.…”