A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
A tradeoff between reproduction and growth in contemporary Finnish women
Authors: Helle S
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
Publication year: 2008
Journal:Evolution and Human Behavior
Journal name in sourceEVOLUTION AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Journal acronym: EVOL HUM BEHAV
Volume: 29
Issue: 3
First page : 189
Last page: 195
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 1090-5138
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2007.11.009
Abstract
Women have been suggested to trade growth in height for reproduction, as an earlier age at menarche and first birth seem to be related to shorter adult stature. Although women likely accrue fitness benefits by maturing and starting reproduction at young age, short adult stature may be selected against by natural and sexual selection later in their life. We studied how age at menarche and first reproduction affected adult height and whether adult height in turn was related to lifetime reproductive success in Finnish women born 1946-1958. Our results show that a delay of I year in age at menarche and first reproduction was related to a 0.43- and 0.20-cm increase in adult height, respectively. The sex of the first-born offspring was not related to adult height. Moreover, women gained fitness benefits by starting reproduction early but not by growing tall. These findings among Finnish women are thus compatible with tradeoffs between reproduction and growth, by showing a compromised adult height at the cost of early age at menarche and first birth. However, in these women, natural selection favored those women who traded their stature for young motherhood. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Women have been suggested to trade growth in height for reproduction, as an earlier age at menarche and first birth seem to be related to shorter adult stature. Although women likely accrue fitness benefits by maturing and starting reproduction at young age, short adult stature may be selected against by natural and sexual selection later in their life. We studied how age at menarche and first reproduction affected adult height and whether adult height in turn was related to lifetime reproductive success in Finnish women born 1946-1958. Our results show that a delay of I year in age at menarche and first reproduction was related to a 0.43- and 0.20-cm increase in adult height, respectively. The sex of the first-born offspring was not related to adult height. Moreover, women gained fitness benefits by starting reproduction early but not by growing tall. These findings among Finnish women are thus compatible with tradeoffs between reproduction and growth, by showing a compromised adult height at the cost of early age at menarche and first birth. However, in these women, natural selection favored those women who traded their stature for young motherhood. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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