Maternal death and offspring fitness in multiple wild primates

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015317118
• Publication Date: 2020-12-23T16:54:30Z
• Authors: Matthew N. Zipple; Jeanne Altmann; Fernando A. Campos; Marina Cords; Linda M. Fedigan; Richard R. Lawler; Elizabeth V. Lons...; Susan Perry; Anne E. Pusey; Tara S. Stoinski; Karen B. Strier; Susan C. Alberts
• Keywords: Primates; 0106 biological sciences; History; Aging; Longevity; Wild; Mothers; Animals, Wild; Reproductive health and childbirth; 01 natural sciences; intergenerational effects; Pregnancy; Animals; Heritage and Archaeology; Pediatric; maternal condition; Prevention; Reproduction; Newborn; 3. Good health; Human Society; Archaeology; maternal death; Animals, Newborn; Anthropology; Maternal Death; maternal effects; Female; maternal grief

SignificanceExtensive care of offspring by mothers is a fundamental trait of all mammals, including humans, and the loss of a mother can be catastrophic for offspring. Here, we identify previously undocumented ways in which the death of a mother affects her offspring, using long-term, longitudinal data from seven primate species. First, females that experience early maternal loss are often less able, as adults, to produce offspring that survive to maturity. Second, in some species young offspring are more likely to die if their mother is facing impending death (death in the next few years), even while she is still alive. This work has important implications for our understanding of the evolution of the long life spans that primates exhibit.