This paper argues that parent-offspring conflict is mediated by placental beta-endorphins in placental mammals, i.e., foetuses make their mothers endorphin-dependent then manipulate them to increase nutrient allocation to the placenta. This hypothesis predicts that: (1) anatomic position of endorphin production should mirror its presumed role in fetal-maternal conflict; (2) endorphin levels should co-vary positively with nutrient carrying capacity of maternal blood system; (3) postpartum psychological symptoms (postpartum blues, depression and psychosis) in humans are side-effects of this mechanism that can be interpreted as endorphin-deprivation symptoms; (4) shortly after parturition, placentophagia could play an adaptive role in decreasing the negative side-effects of fetal manipulation; (5) later, breast-feeding induced endorphin excretion of the maternal pituitary saves mother from further deprivation symptoms. Finally, whatever the molecular mechanism of fetal manipulation is, widespread and intense medical care (such as caesarean section and use of antidepressants) affects the present and future evolution of mother-foetus conflict in the human species (and also in domestic animals) to increase 'fetal aggressiveness' and thus technology-dependency of reproduction.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2006.03.053 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Relationships Between Genetic Parameters in the Component Traits of a Ratio Trait and the Distribution and Heritability of Such Ratio Trait.
Anim Sci J
January 2025
Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
The relationships between the distribution and heritability of a ratio trait and the genetic parameters of its component traits were clarified using a Monte Carlo computer simulation. The component traits of a ratio trait were assumed to be normally distributed. The genetic parameters of the ratio trait were estimated using parent-offspring regression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntrinsic timing of brood care in shell-dwelling cichlids.
Curr Biol
January 2025
Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, 82152 Martinsried, Germany. Electronic address:
Brood care relies on interactions between parents and offspring. Emergence of nestlings from their nest has been hypothesized to rely on the readout by the parent of the maturational state of the young. Theoretical considerations predict a conflict: parents should push for early emergence, if possible, to reduce care demands and maximize the number of reproductive cycles, whereas offspring should delay leaving to maximize resource allocation and protection by the parents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic diversity within a tree and alternative indexes for different evolutionary effects.
Quant Plant Biol
December 2024
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Trees, living for centuries, accumulate somatic mutations in their growing trunks and branches, causing genetic divergence within a single tree. Stem cell lineages in a shoot apical meristem accumulate mutations independently and diverge from each other. In plants, somatic mutations can alter the genetic composition of reproductive organs and gametes, impacting future generations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiplex panels of SNP markers based on single-base primer extension in the west Pacific pen shell Atrina lischkeana (Clessin, 1891).
Mol Biol Rep
December 2024
Production Engineering Division, Momoshima Field Station, Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1760 Momoshima, Onomichi, Hiroshima, 722-0061, Japan.
Background: As part of stock enhancement programs for marine fishery species, the stocking of hatchery-produced seedlings into sea areas has been implemented worldwide. DNA markers are vital for responsible stock enhancement practices that aim to conserve the genetic diversity of recipient wild populations. We report novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and multiplex SNP panels developed for the west Pacific pen shell Atrina lischkeana (Clessin, 1891), a large bivalve that is expected to be a subject of stock enhancement activity as the natural resource has dwindled, especially in Japan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe evolution of a placenta accelerates the evolution of post-copulatory reproductive isolation.
Evolution
December 2024
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, United States.
The evolution of placentation is predicted to intensify intergenomic conflicts between mothers and offspring over optimal levels of maternal investment by providing offspring opportunities to manipulate mothers into allocating more resources. Parent-offspring conflicts can result in the evolution of reproductive isolation among populations when conflicts resolve in different ways. Postzygotic reproductive isolation is hypothesized to evolve more rapidly following the evolution of placentation due to the predicted increase in conflict.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!