Evolution of sex differences in lifespan and aging: Causes and constraints

Maklakov, Alexei A.; Lummaa, Virpi

doi:10.1002/bies.201300021

Cited by 197 publications

(299 citation statements)

References 121 publications

(170 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

282

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sex differences in ageing rate are thought to stem from selection optimizing reproductive capacity for each sex [28,29], leading males to show more rapid functional declines than females [24,26 -28]. However, our models indicated no support for sex differences in ageing in either captive or wild animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…However, if lifetime fitness is sufficiently enhanced by living longer, selection may favour somatic maintenance and counteract the accumulation of damage [2,29,65]. Microcebus murinus have a long potential lifespan relative to their body size and life-history characteristics [75,76], yet a distinctly shorter average lifespan in nature.…”

Section: (D) Lifespan Determination In Captivity and Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Senescence or selective disappearance? Age trajectories of body mass in wild and captive populations of a small-bodied primate

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Classic theories of ageing consider extrinsic mortality (EM) a major factor in shaping longevity and ageing, yet most studies of functional ageing focus on species with low EM. This bias may cause overestimation of the influence of senescent declines in performance over condition-dependent mortality on demographic processes across taxa. To simultaneously investigate the roles of functional senescence (FS) and intrinsic, extrinsic and condition-dependent mortality in a species with a high predation risk in nature, we compared age trajectories of body mass (BM) in wild and captive grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) using longitudinal data (853 individuals followed through adulthood). We found evidence of non-random mortality in both settings. In captivity, the oldest animals showed senescence in their ability to regain lost BM, whereas no evidence of FS was found in the wild. Overall, captive animals lived longer, but a reversed sex bias in lifespan was observed between wild and captive populations. We suggest that even moderately condition-dependent EM may lead to negligible FS in the wild. While high EM may act to reduce the average lifespan, this evolutionary process may be counteracted by the increased fitness of the long-lived, high-quality individuals.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: (D) Lifespan Determination In Captivity and Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

Senescence or selective disappearance? Age trajectories of body mass in wild and captive populations of a small-bodied primate

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Instead, the relative importance of phenotypic traits that may be involved in trade-offs, and hence how much energy is being invested in those traits, can differ among demographic groups in a population. One example is the differential investment in current versus future reproduction by males and females driven by sex-specific fitness incentives (Wedell et al, 2006;Bonduriansky et al, 2008;Maklakov and Lummaa, 2013). Another example is the relative investment in a given trait among different age classes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exercise training reveals trade-offs among endurance performance and immune function, but not growth, in juvenile lizards

Husak

Roy

Lovern

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Acquired energetic resources allocated to a particular trait cannot then be re-allocated to a different trait. This often results in a trade-off between survival and reproduction for the adults of many species, but such a trade-off may be manifested differently in juveniles not yet capable of reproduction. Whereas adults may allocate resources to current and/or future reproduction, juveniles can only allocate to future reproduction. Thus, juveniles should allocate resources toward traits that increase survival and their chances of future reproductive success. We manipulated allocation of resources to performance, via endurance exercise training, to examine trade-offs among endurance capacity, immune function and growth in juvenile green anole lizards. We trained male and female captive anoles on a treadmill for 8 weeks, with increasing intensity, and compared traits with those of untrained individuals. Our results show that training enhanced endurance capacity equally in both sexes, but immune function was suppressed only in females. Training had no effect on growth, but males had higher growth rates than females. Previous work showed that trained adults have enhanced growth, so juvenile growth is either insensitive to stimulation with exercise, or they are already growing at maximal rates. Our results add to a growing body of literature indicating that locomotor performance is an important part of life-history trade-offs that are sex and age specific.

show abstract

“…A number of investigators have suggested that sexual conflict could play an important role in the evolution of two particularly interesting life-history traits: life span and aging (Svensson and Sheldon 1998;Promislow 2003;Bonduriansky et al 2008;Maklakov and Lummaa 2013). Sexual conflict can affect life span and aging rate at both proximate (within-generation) and ultimate (evolutionary) scales.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Conflict, Life Span, and Aging

Adler

Bonduriansky

2014

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The potential for sexual conflict to influence the evolution of life span and aging has been recognized for more than a decade, and recent work also suggests that variation in life span and aging can influence sexually antagonistic coevolution. However, empirical exploration of these ideas is only beginning. Here, we provide an overview of the ideas and evidence linking inter-and intralocus sexual conflicts with life span and aging. We aim to clarify the conceptual basis of this research program, examine the current state of knowledge, and suggest key questions for further investigation.S exual conflict arises because the sexes maximize their fitness via different, and often mutually incompatible, strategies, and its signature has been detected across a wide range of morphological, physiological, behavioral, and life-history traits in many species. A number of investigators have suggested that sexual conflict could play an important role in the evolution of two particularly interesting life-history traits: life span and aging (Svensson and Sheldon 1998;Promislow 2003;Bonduriansky et al. 2008;Maklakov and Lummaa 2013). Sexual conflict can affect life span and aging rate at both proximate (within-generation) and ultimate (evolutionary) scales. Sexually antagonistic behavioral or physiological interactions that increase mortality rate in one or both sexes (interlocus sexual conflict) could drive the evolution of faster life histories. Moreover, sex-specific optimization of reproductive strategies may often result in sex differences in life span and aging rates, and sexually antagonistic selection on shared genetic architecture can displace one or both sexes from their sex-specific optima for these traits (intralocus sexual conflict). Conversely, a change in life histories because of environmental fluctuations could affect the degree of sexual conflict in a population and influence sexual coevolution. Although evidence for sexual conflict is rapidly accumulating, our understanding of its relationship to life span and aging remains rudimentary. In this review, we provide a critical review of recent literature and highlight areas that require further investigation.

show abstract

Evolution of sex differences in lifespan and aging: Causes and constraints

Cited by 197 publications

References 121 publications

Senescence or selective disappearance? Age trajectories of body mass in wild and captive populations of a small-bodied primate

Senescence or selective disappearance? Age trajectories of body mass in wild and captive populations of a small-bodied primate

Exercise training reveals trade-offs among endurance performance and immune function, but not growth, in juvenile lizards

Sexual Conflict, Life Span, and Aging

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About