Doctoral Dissertation Research: The energetic costs of motherhood in primates

博士论文研究：灵长类动物母性的能量消耗

• 批准号: 1650814
• 负责人: Erin Vogel
• 金额: $ 2.52万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-03-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1650814&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; energetic; costs

Mammalian mothers have evolved to produce milk for their infants while maintaining a healthy body condition, but little is known about how wild primate mothers modify their diet and behavior to ensure both infant and mother survival. This dissertation project examines how wild orangutan mothers meet their energetic needs while nursing an infant during extended periods of low fruit and overall caloric availability. The research will provide a comparative model for human ancestors that may also have survived and reproduced through periods of resource uncertainty. In addition, Bornean orangutans are critically endangered, and research findings from this project will support primate conservation efforts. This project will also provide training in data management, behavioral data collection, and lab-based behavioral endocrinology for students from underrepresented groups in the STEM fields.Research focusing on primate reproduction and life-history has revealed that primates have longer gestation and lactation periods, and extended periods of juvenile dependency relative to other mammalian species of similar size. Thus, it is likely that primate mothers, particularly those who nurse for multiple years spanning periods of unpredictable and low food availability, will have evolved a suite of behavioral and physiological adaptions to cope with the long-term energetic demands of motherhood while minimizing risk to her developing infant. This project examines the behavioral and physiological strategies that wild Bornean mother orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) use to maintain homeostasis across periods of infant development. The project utilizes several non-invasive methodologies: behavioral observations of orangutans, macronutrient analysis of food items, and physiological urinary analyses. This will be one of the first studies of a wild primate species to test if mothers modulate their nutritional intake and subsequent energetic status throughout lactation and infant development, and if/how they maintain homeostasis during this energetically costly period.

哺乳动物的母亲已经演变成为婴儿生产牛奶，同时保持健康的身体状况，但对野生灵长类动物母亲如何改变饮食和行为以确保婴儿和母亲的生存知之甚少。 该论文项目探讨了野生猩猩的母亲如何满足其精力充沛的需求，同时在较长的水果和整体热量供应期间对婴儿进行护理。这项研究将为人类祖先提供一个比较模型，这些模型也可能在资源不确定性时期生存和再现。此外，卑鄙的猩猩非常濒危，该项目的研究结果将支持灵长类动物的保护工作。该项目还将为STEM领域中代表性不足的群体的学生提供数据管理，行为数据收集和基于实验室的行为内分泌学的培训。研究重点是灵长类动物和生活历史的研究表明，灵长类动物具有更长的妊娠期和哺乳期，妊娠期，相对于其他相似大小的哺乳动物物种的少年依赖性的长期。因此，灵长类动物的母亲，特别是那些跨越了不可预测和低食物可用性的跨越多年的护士的母亲，会进化出一套行为和生理适应性，以应付孕产的长期能量需求，同时降低风险以最大程度地减少风险她发展的婴儿。该项目探讨了野生伯恩牛奶猩猩（Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii）使用的行为和生理策略，可在婴儿发育的各个时期维持体内平衡。该项目利用了几种非侵入性方法：猩猩的行为观察，食品的大量营养素分析和生理尿液分析。这将是对野生灵长类动物的首批研究之一，用于测试母亲在整个泌乳和婴儿发育过程中是否调节其营养摄入量和随后的能量状态，以及在这个高昂的成本昂贵时期内如何保持体内平衡。