Doctoral Dissertation Research: Early-life adversity: Maternal effects in a wild primate

博士论文研究：早年逆境：野生灵长类动物的母体影响

基本信息

批准号：
1945701
负责人：
Jacinta Beehner
金额：
$ 2.36万
依托单位：
Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-03-15 至 2023-02-28
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1945701&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Doctoral Dissertation Research Early life

项目摘要

In early life, organisms receive cues about their environment from their mother, specifically her hormones. But how offspring respond to these signals is not fully understood. This doctoral dissertation project will examine how the early-life environment and maternal “stress” hormones impact development in a long-lived, wild primate. In humans, high maternal stress can result in low offspring birth weight, which in turn predicts poor physiological status later in life. By studying a wild primate, this research will help identify why these connections exist and could inform interventions designed to help prevent negative outcomes. Additionally, this project will contribute to conservation and education at the research site and surrounding areas, through frequent presentations to local community members, tourists, and park management officials. The co-PI will also continue to mentor undergraduate women in the laboratory throughout her dissertation.When faced with adversity, mammalian mothers have fewer resources to invest in their offspring. These mothers also experience higher levels of “stress” hormones. These hormones, through the placenta and breastmilk, can reach the offspring and indicate the mother’s divestment, potentially leading to adjusted offspring development in response to these signals. There are two possible adjustments that can occur in offspring: 1) a delay in all aspects of development, or 2) trade-offs in development, for example favoring growth over investment in the immune system. Using non-invasive fecal hormone samples, this project will first identify the social and ecological factors of the environment that result in higher maternal stress hormones. Next, using behavioral observations, the researchers will examine if maternal stress levels impact maternal behavior towards their offspring. Lastly, the researchers will non-invasively assess four aspects of offspring development (growth rate, motor skill acquisition, time to independence, and immune function) to determine if offspring respond to maternal stress hormones by delaying all developmental markers or by making trade-offs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在早期的生活中，有机体在母亲的环境中，特别是她的荷尔蒙。在野生灵长类动物的生活中，后代的出生体重低。她的论文。当他们的后代面临逆境时，这些母亲也经历了“压力”荷尔蒙的水平。在后代中可能发生的信号：1）开发的各个方面的延迟，或者2）开发的权衡，例如有利于免疫系统的增长和环境的生态因素。如果孕产妇的压力水平影响孕产妇的行为对其后代（增长率，运动技能，独立性和免疫功能） NSF'sFly的使命，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准来获得值得的GH GH评估。