Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Published: March 2013
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Testosterone (T) is often positively associated with male sexual behavior and negatively associated with paternal care. These associations have primarily been demonstrated in species where investment in paternal care begins well after mating activity is complete, when offspring are hatched or born. Different patterns may emerge in studies of species where investment in mating and paternal care overlap temporally, for instance in non-seasonal breeders in which males mate with multiple females sequentially and may simultaneously have multiple offspring of different ages. In a 9-year data set on levels of T in male baboons, fecal concentrations of T (fT) were positively associated with both mate guarding ("consortship") - a measure of current reproductive activity - and with the number of immature offspring a male had in his social group - a measure of past reproductive activity and an indicator of likely paternal behavior. To further examine the relationship between T and potential paternal behavior, we next drew on an intensive 8-month study of male behavior, and found that fathers were more likely to be in close proximity to their offspring than expected by chance. Because male baboons are known to provide paternal care, and because time in proximity to offspring would facilitate such care, this suggests that T concentrations in wild male baboons may be associated with both current reproductive activity and with current paternal behavior. These results are consistent with the predicted positive association between T and mating effort but not with a negative association between T and paternal care; in male baboons, high levels of T occur in males that are differentially associating with their offspring.
AbstractThe ability to secure food for offspring and withstand the cost of reproduction favors high-quality mothers that overproduce the larger sex, typically sons, only if they will receive adequate food, as this should enhance these sons' fitness returns. However, high-quality daughters ensure that grandoffspring receive quality parental care and may possess greater reproductive value than their brothers, favoring daughters also from high-quality mothers. Using a mixed cross-fostering approach, we investigated effects of early rearing conditions, covariance between breeders and their genetic parents in parental quality, and primary offspring sex ratios in Carolina wrens.
Background: The reduction of maternal mortality has stagnated globally. Estimates project a rise to 140.9 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, which is double the Sustainable Development Goal target.
Department of Oncology, Hubei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Biological Behaviors, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Background: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections leading to a variety of diseases are a global public health issue.Despite the well-established link between HPV infection and cervical and anogenital cancers, there is ongoing debate regarding the relationship between HPV infection and colorectal cancer (CRC).
Methods: We evaluated the causal connection between HPV infection and CRC utilizing five Mendelian randomization (MR) methods.
Background: A low breastfeeding rate causes an increased health care burden and negative health outcomes for individuals and society. Coparenting is an essential tactic for encouraging breastfeeding when raising a child. The efficacy of the coparenting interventions in enhancing breastfeeding-related outcomes is controversial.
Despite the persistence of breastfeeding racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, little is known about Black fathers' perceptions of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support services (e.g., maternity hospital-based care and lactation management care).
