A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Early and Adult Social Environments Shape Sex-Specific Actuarial Senescence Patterns in a Cooperative Breeder




AuthorsVérane Berger, Jean-François Lemaître, Dominique Allainé, Jean-Michel Gaillard, Aurélie Cohas

PublisherUNIV CHICAGO PRESS

Publication year2018

JournalAmerican Naturalist

Journal name in sourceAMERICAN NATURALIST

Journal acronymAM NAT

Volume192

Issue4

First page 525

Last page536

Number of pages12

ISSN0003-0147

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/699513

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/35956812


Abstract
Sociality modulates life-history traits through changes in resource allocation to fitness-related traits. However, how social factors at different stages of the life cycle modulate senescence remains poorly understood. To address this question, we assessed the influence of social environment in both early life and adulthood on actuarial senescence in the Alpine marmot, a cooperative breeder. The influence of helpers on actuarial senescence strongly differed depending on when help was provided and on the sex of the dominant. Being helped when adult slowed down senescence in both sexes. However, the effect of the presence of helpers during the year of birth of a dominant was sex specific. Among dominants helped during adulthood, females born in the presence of helpers senesced slower, whereas males senesced faster. Among dominants without helpers during adulthood, females with helpers at birth senesced faster. Social environment modulates senescence but acts differently between sexes and life stages.

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